Snape Chronicles: HalfBlood Princess
by RabidOrochimaruOtaku
Summary: Chaos reigns as we begin book six, and Kiru's fourth year at school. Malfoy's a Death Eater still, the household has the same old dynamics, and prophecies are revealed. The Snape family tries to deal with the war while trying to win the upper hand, but can they seperate to fulfill their own destinies that they need to in order to complete the prophecy that they must all fulfill?
1. Call in the Replacements

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

It was August First, and 12 Grimmauld Place was filled to the brim with members of the Order of the Phoenix at Dumbledore's request. Dumbledore had arrived at soon after the others, and Severus had been forced to tell Harry to Floo back to there after a confirmation of Sirius' will. Harry arrived, and Kiru followed moments after with a shudder. They joined the meeting, much to Molly's chagrin, as Dumbledore was away with Harry in his former bedroom to discuss Sirius.

"You guys can keep it," Harry said dejectedly as Dumbledore brought up 12 Grimmauld Place. "It hurts too much to go there."

"By inheriting the house, you also inherit," Dumbledore said, and Sirius' house elf appeared with a resounding crack, "Kreacher."

"Kreacher won't, he would rather work for Mrs. Malfoy, oh yes," Kreacher yelled.

"If you can give him an order that means that he will belong to you," Dumbledore yelled over the house elf's yelling. "Go on."

"Kreacher won't! Won't! WON'T!" he was now screaming at the top of his lungs, startling the other members of the Order, with one black-clad exception. Surprisingly, he could be heard through the fire connection that Kiru has set up.

"Kreacher, SHUT UP!" Harry bellowed, and the elf threw himself into a thrashing yet silent tantrum. "I guess that means that I own Sirius' house now."

"Yes, my dear boy, you do," Dumbledore said calmly. "Might I recommend sending Kreacher to the kitchens at Hogwarts? A number of the teachers that own house elves do just that, my boy."

"Er, yeah, why don't you go to the Hogwarts kitchens, Kreacher," Harry said just before the elf gave him a look of pure hatred and disappeared with another pop. "Finally he shuts up. Is there anything else, Professor?"

"How are your Occlumency skills doing, Harry?" he asked, and Harry shrugged.

"Professor Snape's helping me out with it, and has been giving me piece-by-piece practice again. I've been getting much better now that the summer's here and I can properly focus on it," Harry reported, not sure if this was a good or bad occurrence. "Of course, Kiru and my parents are also helping me out a little whenever I feel that it's you-know-who trying to get in."

"Good, that's good," Dumbledore said half-heartedly. It was very good that Harry had picked it up since it would be vital to Severus' life that Harry's life be kept as far away from Severus' as possible in each other's minds. "Now, since teens joining the meetings are up to their guardians, you and Kiru are permitted to join. Kiru is training to take Severus' side in his role in the Order, and I suggest that you begin training for your own role."

"Right, as the world's savior," Harry said sarcastically, and the headmaster chuckled. "It's stupid how everyone just thinks that I'm some all-powerful being just because I defeated Voldemort when I was an infant."

"Fame is often a double edged sword," Dumbledore agreed as they walked into the meeting, where the others were now discussing Kiru's role in the order. "She is joining the Order and has already taken the oaths. It is up to Severus on whether or not she will be getting any assignments since he is her father and legal guardian."

"This is an outrage, Albus!" Molly Weasley screamed out, and Kiru and Harry slumped down in their chairs as the adults all went back to arguing over whether kids that have taken their OWL's should be permitted to join the order or not if they aren't of age.

Naturally, Kiru didn't care at all since she was more worried about Draco's role in the war. She knew that Voldemort wanted her as a spy to create havoc on the Death Eaters and Hogwarts alike. She also knew that he wanted her to live up to her father's example in Potions and spells, so she'd been practicing like a madwoman all during summer break. This meant that she hadn't gotten a summer break at all, in a way. Voldemort seemed to have a way of making that happen every year, no matter what.

Kiru, however, didn't give a monkey's uncle about what he wanted and had made her views clear to the snake-user: Leave me out of this until I'm done with school so I can study and get stronger like you want me to so badly. The Weasley children, Hermione, and Neville were now upstairs no doubt trying to listen in to the meeting. The arguing continued, with her mother staying out of it silently as the members of the Order began arguing about who they wanted to kill or wanted who _not _to get killed.

"All this talk of blood and slaying has put me off my tea."

"Well, the entire _world _is falling to ruin. And, poor Chessie is off her…_tea_," Severus drawled with a roll of his black eyes.

"What happened that day was not my fault," she retorted, and the entire room became suddenly quiet as Severus darkly stood up.

"Oh dear," Harry murmured quietly as he shrank back into his chair to hide.

"You're an out an end to save your own skin, you gutless Scottish piligering, (it'll show up eventually)-!" Severus began darkly and quietly, raising his voice to the point that the students upstairs could hear him loud and clearly.

"Father!" Kiru cut him off, and he immediately stopped short.

"Thank you," Severus hissed.

"Ooh, meow," Harry smirked.

"I'm fine," Snape snapped.

"What's wrong with you, Severus? You used to be the light of the party! You used to do the best Fudderwacken in all of Slytherin!" Chessie smirked.

"Fudder-what?" Tonks asked curiously.

"Fudderwacken!" Harry grinned stupidly as he stood up.

"It's a dance," Kiru explained as Harry started dancing, which the others were warily staring at him wondering if he'd finally gone off his rocker.

"On the day that the Dark Lord is properly and fully vanquished, with Potter wearing the victory crown, I shall Fudderwacken vigorously," Snape said with a smirk as he stalked around the room, growling out this last word and Harry and Kiru laughed maniacally.

"Okay, then," Lupin said warily, his left eyebrow twitching nervously. "Normally I would question one's sanity, but if Harry knows what the hell you're talking about, then okay, have fun with that, just don't bring me into the mess. Molly, Arthur, what are you going to do with the kids during the mission?"

"One of the twins will watch them," Arthur said immediately, also desperate for a change of subject.

"With any luck, your other sons will show up, too," Kiru muttered as her father sat back down. "So, what'll happen if you don't come back in a couple days?"

"Well," Molly fretted. "I don't know. We – we aren't usually assigned tasks that we can't complete, Kiru, dear."

"Don't call me dear," Kiru snapped.

"We will take them in, I suppose," Severus reluctantly relented after a warning and commanding glare from Chessie. "However, they will be taught by my rules and my house regulations during their stay."

"Will you? Oh, thank you so much, Severus!" Molly gasped. "I know you still hate us for what we did, but we were wrong, and…"

"Under the Imperius curse, I know," Severus snarled as he stood up. "Now if you don't mind, I have infants to get back to, unlike the vast majority of you. Potter, Kiru, Chessie, we're leaving!"

"Yosh," they grinned as he swept away with his black cloak still billowing. "I can see why he's called the dungeon bat," the two students whispered in unison before chuckling and giggling.

The next day, Molly and Arthur still hadn't come home. Charlie was pacing in the Burrow's kitchen, with Percy shooting daggers at him. The latter had rushed over to the Burrow as soon as his father had asked off of work, with the former rushing over as soon as Severus had fire called him with the news of his parents' recent mission. Bill was still at Gringotts, and was content staying there as his fiancée, Fleur Delacour from the Triwizard Tournament, worked on her English. Ginny was still upset all during the summer, not in the least bit happy about having to spend her summer first with first Percy, now her dreaded Potions Master, which, rumor had it, wasn't really so scary after all.

It didn't come as a surprise to anyone, however, when Snape mysteriously vanished with his heiress two days after the Weasley family had decided to show up at Privet Drive. Yet again, Kiru's familiar had been so ruthlessly killed by her History of Magic teacher, only this time with the killing curse and the witch hadn't gone to Azkaban since she thought she was in danger from Noki. Kiru was so distraught that she buried herself in work this summer, and was almost never talking and hardly eating at all, with just enough to survive. Severus had had enough of his child's depression and took her to London for a trip in Diagon Alley to go sight-seeing before the school year started. For reasons he couldn't fathom, he felt himself drawn towards the London cathedral of Notre Dame.

He sighed, unsure of what lie ahead, but took her anyways. It was truly a sight to behold, that was for sure, but he hadn't the faintest idea as to why he kept getting the feeling that he should go to the top with his oldest child and only Musiclancer to be born within the Century that used their powers. Once there, however, he immediately understood as he saw a mass of ravens, one with a nest of hatchlings that had been abandoned. Two of the tiny birds had already been taken in, but the oldest of the black bird orphans had begun to fly, and shakily flew up onto Kiru's shoulder.

They gasped, knowing that having a raven for a familiar was an extremely rare gift, just as it was for the basilisk. Normally the basilisk would be the familiar of the witch or wizard who hatched it alongside said human's posterity, and Kiru's was no exception. They knew, however, that once a raven had decided on a witch or wizard to be a familiar for, they were there to stay forever more. What startled Kiru the most wasn't having a raven for a familiar – she felt a tug towards the basilisk, but she'd suspected it was because of her lineage, and not the real reason of Death. No, the real surprise was what the raven had done _after _it had landed on Kiru's shoulder.

"Holy Salazar Slytherin!" Kiru had yelled in fright at the bird landing on her, and it had mimicked her perfectly down to her somewhat Japanese accent. Her eyes widened, and Severus' own narrowed in amusement at the small bird. If any familiar was able to get her to say something disrespectful about her ancestor, it would no doubt be able to cheer her up with its cheek and insane ideas, no matter how much it would drive him insane.

"Skullduggery," Severus murmured. "Your name is Skullduggery, isn't it little feathered one?"

"Skullduggery," the bird agreed. "Skullduggery am I! Yoda not am I!"

"We're keeping him," Severus decided as Kiru smiled softly at the bird's antics. It had already wormed its way into her broken heart – he knew that ravens were such a rare familiar, but a very revered one that even the most foolish of teachers wouldn't attack unless they wanted a swarm of the bird's kindred eating their food and livers for the rest of their natural human life. This bird was most likely the safest familiar for Kiru's unlucky streak of three dead at her History teachers' hands.

"Papa, will he – will he get hurt like the others?" Kiru asked as they made their way back home.

"No, dearest princess," Severus smirked. "Ravens are very wise and can sense ill intentions, I believe, and this new familiar is agile and at his wits. No, Skullduggery will be just fine, dear one. Winky, bring this raven back to our house and make sure he has a comfortable home!"

"Yes, master," the female elf said as she appeared with a loud crack, gently took hold of the raven fledgling, and disappeared with another pop.

"Now, child, your hand," Severus ordered, and Kiru happily took her father's hand so that she could get home and tell the others about her new familiar and his abilities.

* * *

Okay, so a third one was killed, and Kiru is yet again getting a replacement familiar, but this time it won't get killed, I promise.

Reviews are very much appreciated! Please?


	2. Nevermore

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

Dudley looked around, screaming his head off and thrashing wildly, screaming as loud as his lungs could manage. He didn't know who this man was, not until another man approached him and called him 'my lord'. His eyes widened as he continued to scream his lungs out in writhing pain as he was subjected to more of the Cruciatus curse. This snake-looking freak was Voldemort, he realized, even though he wasn't the sharpest tack in the box.

"Cruccio," Voldemort and three Death Eaters said in unison, and Dudley's agonized screaming and writhing reached new heights previously unfounded by any other Muggle.

"Help me!" Dudley screamed for all he was worth as he wet himself and the light gradually died from his eyes.

"Noo!" Harry woke up screaming loudly, covered in cold sweat, jerking upright.

"Harry," Severus soothed as he raced into the teen's bedroom, rushing to the shaking Gryffindor to bring him into his arms. "Harry, it's alright. It was just a nightmare."

"Dudley," Harry gasped, still breathless. Ron and the rest of the Weasley boys were right behind the Professor, and had stopped in the doorway in shock at what the 'greasy git' was doing. "Dudley."

"He's alright," Severus said calmly. "Would you like me to get him as proof?"

"No," Harry gasped, knowing that his Potions Professor was his lifeline right now. "Stay. Please, stay, I don't – I can't do this…"

"Hush," Severus snapped. "Weasley – I don't care which – get me the Muggle a few doors down and bring him here. With the racket Potter was making I doubt he was asleep."

Charlie nodded as he went to get the large boy for his former teacher. Molly and Arthur were away on Order business, and had left the care of the children in Percy's hands. Charlie, however, was enraged at his younger brother's attempts at trying to get his four other younger siblings into joining the Ministry of Magic, and had brought them to Professor Snape to get them all away. He had, of course, gotten his mentor's permission during the Order meeting two nights prior.

Severus' thoughts were intervened at that point as Charlie returned with his oldest ward, and the second ward left his arms and went to embrace his cousin. Dudley, who was still trying to get used to being civil with Harry, was extremely groggy and confused at his cousin's outburst of affection, but put two and two together as he took notice of his guardian sitting on Harry's bed leaning onto his legs wearily.

"Sh, it's okay, Harry," Dudley soothed. "You're alright, it was just a dream, tough guy."

"No, Dudley," Harry sobbed. "They – you haven't seen – _him _– have you?"

"N-no," Dudley said taken aback, and Severus' head snapped up immediately, realizing the severity of the situation. Kiru's defenses were either failing or he realized that Harry was having nightmares in fear. "H-harry, it's alright. I'm fine, nobody's coming after me, I'm a Muggle, I did nothing to them."

"Wrong, Dudley," Severus said quietly. "I was given orders by Dumbledore to protect the two of you for a reason. I would be the first to know if the two of you were in danger, I can assure you, and should something like that hatch in the Dark Lord's mind, I will use everything in my power to keep you safe since you are the only one that can protect Harry with his mother's blood wards."

"Oh," Dudley said, not fully comprehending what he'd said, but knowing it was just best to know that his guardians would protect him as best they could until this huge mess his cousin was in would be over. He sighed, rubbing Harry's still sweat-soaked back, and holding his thin frame up to his own now-muscular one.

Severus smirked. It had taken him two years, but he'd finally gotten the two sons of the Evans sisters to get along, and they now both knew the full extent of the danger they were in. They also knew how vital it was that they stay together and act as a team, especially with Kiru and Hermione's uncanny abilities to help them in any given time that he could not. Luckily for Harry, Severus had just gotten back from a Death Eater meeting and was already awake and still dressed when he'd screamed at the end of his nightmare.

"Potter," Severus finally said. "In your dream – what was happening? What did you see?"

"I – Dudley," Harry answered, and his cousin's eyes snapped downwards to him. "Dudley was being hurt with – with the Cruciatus curse. It was – _he _did it, and then – then three Death Eaters joined him. I – I could hear Dudley's bones breaking and – and – and!"

"Alright, Potter, come here," Snape cut off before his charge could start hyperventilating from a panic attack. "Accio calming draught, bottle one." It made a small smacking sound as it made contact with his hand after racing from his own room to this one. "Drink it – _all _of it."

Harry obeyed, and sniffled once before wiping away a set of tears that had been forming in his emerald eyes. He yawned, leaning up against the Potions master, who he knew would smell like chamomile and his other potions, breathing in the scent from his dark robes deeply. Severus let him stay put, knowing that this was another method that he had of relaxing after a nightmare, and gently put his arms around the terrified teen. He sighed through his nose, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow in exhaustion at the whole issue. Molly and Arthur were supposed to have returned a few days prior, and Severus snapped alert as his daughter weaseled her way into her stepbrother's bedroom.

"Do I need to check again, father?" she asked, looking at Harry, and Severus nodded slightly. Kiru whistled out the Nocturne of Shadow, knowing it would be all she needed since Harry was in the room, and soon Lily and James Potter's spirits immediately had a mind connection to her own. She sighed as she drilled them with questions, much to their concerns, and smirked when the woman panicked over her and her sister's sons.

'Relax, Lily,' James soothed. 'I'm sure Severus is doing just fine. Let him handle this, she's probably just worried that we aren't shielding Harry's brain from Voldemort.'

'Right you are, Potter,' Kiru nodded slightly as she narrowed her eyes. 'He woke up screaming about Dudley being tortured with the Cruciatus curse. Completely unfounded upon, but he still woke up screaming and sweating nonetheless. I'm pleased to report that the Muggle is safe and in no way harmed. Did you-know-who get in Harry's mind tonight?'

'No,' James replied with a shake of his head. 'He tried, but I made sure to stop him. I'm wondering if Harry's fears are the cause of his nightmares…'

"A valid point," Kiru said aloud and mentally. "The Marauder wants to know if it's Harry's fears that are causing the nightmares. The female's too panicked worrying over her nephew. She saw some of my memories, she'll calm down in a bit."

"It's possible," Severus whispered as Harry fell asleep against his dark robes. "Perhaps I should teach him Occlumency for himself instead of just relying on Lily and James to do all the work…"

"That would be smart, especially since it helps get rid of nightmares, and we all need to learn it for the upcoming war," Kiru nodded. "Wait, where's mom?"

"With the twins," Severus sighed quietly as he gently placed Harry back on the pillow and flicked his wand to clean the boy and change his clothes in one fell swoop. "Harry's panicking woke them up. Everyone back to bed, we'll discuss this in the morning."

Ginny's eyes rested on Harry, and she was the last of the Weasley's to leave, preceded even by Kiru and Dudley. Severus looked at her, knowing that she was like himself at that age and desperately in love with his charge. He smirked, pulling her aside to whisper a threat in her ear about his charge's well being, and she blushed crimson as she raced out to her own quarters. He knew by now that Harry, Kiru, Hermione and Draco were the only students that weren't deathly afraid of him, and that included during the summers and school year alike. He stifled a yawn and went to his room to rest at long last, joined moments later by Chessie. After writing out everything that had happened at the Death Eater meeting, he stuffed it under his pillow and changed clothes, knowing that Chessie would only look at the list if she were under the Imperius curse, which was physically impossible since she was always at home and their house was the most well-protected one in Britain.

"Severus," Chessie said hesitantly as they climbed into bed. "I went to St. Mungo's the other day, and I ran into a few others that I tried to follow from what was the Order of the Phoenix before. I – Frank and Alice were there, but Neville was in school. Molly and Arthur were there, too, but I couldn't quite figure out why until I saw the – saw the – Oh, Sev, they were bitten."

"Greyback?" Severus asked quietly, and Chessie nodded as a few tears escaped down her cheeks.

"Am I – weak?" Chessie whispered as Severus wiped her tears from her face.

"Name one other woman that would be willing to marry and bear children to a Death Eater spy who had Harry Bloody Potter, said Potter's Bloody cousin, and the Musiclancer daughter of two Death Eaters under his roof," Severus retorted, and she smiled. He smirked, kissing her as he went fully under the blankets. "_He _wants us to try again. He thinks it was my lineage that gave Kiru her abilities."

"But," Chessie whispered, terrified and her eyes wide like a deer in headlights. "But it wasn't you, it was her mother's abilities! Why don't you tell him that?"

"Because I need him to think that they did stem from me," Severus smirked. "I'm probably one of few people who can outsmart the Dark Lord and get away with it for a while. As long as he thinks the abilities stem from me, I can continue to get you pregnant, which will give you protection from his crackpot schemes."

"Oh," Chessie realized. "I love you, you mad genius. But what happens when he finds out?"

"He won't," Severus smirked. "Kiru has told him that she'll join his ranks when she graduates from Hogwarts, but I doubt that will come before the war. No, the Dark Lord is plotting, Chessie, and he needs as many pawns and chess pieces as he can. As long as he thinks that Kiru is on his side, we're safe. I'll need you to take Kiru to St. Mungo's tomorrow. She says that Sarabella taught her a few more songs, and one that will cure Frank and Alice of their insanity issues."

"Of course I will dear," Chessie gasped. "I know how vital even one soldier can be in a war, and I'm not about to let a healer go to waste! Kiru is like Dumbledore's chess version of a queen, with Harry being the king. But – but what are we?"

"I am a knight," Severus said. "I can get behind enemy lines without a problem – literally. You, my dear, would probably be a rook since you're in this for two reasons and two reasons only. Childbirth and protecting Dudley and our children are your two tasks, and I'm sure Dumbledore knows the severity of the situation."

"Oh," Chessie grinned. "You know, you should have seen the looks on some of the children's faces after the Christmas feast and after everyone got back from Christmas vacation."

"I was under the impression they all thought I was under the Imperius curse that day," Severus smirked as he cocked an eyebrow at his wife.

"Oh, they did," she smiled back. "Until I set them straight when one in each class asked how I managed to get you to always join in on the festivities. I told them – and I repeat my words exactly – "I have enough dirt on that man to last me a lifetime of guilt trips out of him. He's as harmless as a mouse as long as you know what strings to pull after marrying him!" and that is where I stop. The students wouldn't have handled much more shock of my news. One of the Gryffindor first years actually asked me if I was pregnant! Naturally, I told her that I'd be telling the headmaster if I were, and that that was, indeed, the reason I was quitting at the end of the school year since we didn't figure it out until school was already in session. The looks of utter shock on those students' faces were priceless, my greasy dungeon bat! Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a – oh, wait, you do have a Penseive. Never mind, I'll show you in the morning."

"And if I wanted to see it now?" he retorted, immediately wanting to relish the feel of his all-too-soft sweetheart terrifying the students in her own hyperactive, yet extremely Slytherin, mannerisms. It had, after all, been her mischief that landed her in Slytherin, and she was notorious for playing pranks without getting caught until the crimes were so long past that there was no way for her to be punished, most of the time on Marauder-want-to-be's.

"Your fireplace is glowing again," Chessie said calmly snapping Severus out of his reminiscing, and Severus immediately swore in perfect mandarin as he stalked downstairs to the fireplace.

"What now?" Severus growled angrily as he put his head into the fire. "I was just about asleep, damn it."

"Now, now, Severus," Albus said gently. "Why don't you come back for debriefing?"

"I hate you," Snape spat but went through the fireplace anyways to give a full report. Just as soon as he was done, he yanked the Floo Powder that he needed and went back to Snape Manor with a growl of disgust. He stalked and stormed back to his bedroom, still barefoot, and climbed back into bed. "Useless brainless git."

"Me?" Chessie asked, offended and appalled.

"Dumbledore," Severus growled, leaning over her wearily to kiss her. "Now go back to sleep, you daft lovesick ninja."

"Ninja? Oh, you mean how I pulled of hundreds of pranks without being caught?" she smirked and giggled, turning him on slightly.

"Chessie, I have not the time, energy, nor patience for you making me aroused," Severus reprimanded quietly. "But, yes, I was referring to how Slughorn and I were never able to catch you at your pranks until you were almost expelled in your seventh year during the middle of NEWTS."

"That was hilarious!" Chessie laughed, recalling the ultimate prank she'd played, albeit it was a copycat of the Marauders that she hated so very much.

"You almost killed a Gryffindor in fear," Severus scolded. "You repeated on that boy what the Marauders did to me! Well, without the actual werewolf."

"It was really fun, though, you had to admit," Chessie laughed. "I scared that Marauder wanna-be so good he was wetting himself and screaming that there was a werewolf in the Slytherin house for days!"

"And I was at my wits end trying to figure out which one it was and why you were in on the attack on him," Snape scolded harshly. "You _do _realize that the Marauders actually had a real werewolf amongst them and that they attacked me in my fifth year? Potter Senior only intervened because it would put his and two fellows' own secret life as an Animagi at risk, and landed his werewolf Marauder in Azkaban for my murder!"

"Severus, the children," Chessie fretted, and he snorted.

"So what? I cast an extremely powerful muffling charm on our bedroom, for your information, and there isn't a blubbering idiot alive who could listen in unless we were having a shouting match."

"You raving lunatic."

"Lunatic? _I'm _the lunatic? _You're _the one who was repeating those bloody damn them to hell Marauders that I would give anything to watch them suffer in the deepest pit of Tartarus!" Severus shouted, and immediately after his Dark Mark flared once more. "Damn it, Chessie, stop pissing me off, _he _can sense it through our Dark Marks and it aggravates him more, which makes him summon us more, which gives said aggravated Death Eaters more jobs!"

"Then take a bloody dreamless sleep potion, damn it!" she yelled angrily as she shoved the vial's contents into his mouth, to which he immediately fell back onto his pillows into a deep and relaxing sleep that she knew they both needed.

I'm sure you can put the title in on your own. Good? Bad?

Reviews really are appreciated.


	3. With Healing in Her Wings

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

Kiru stepped into St. Mungo's for Magical Maladies and Injuries, not liking it at all. Her Ocarina was in her robes, and her new, and extremely snarky, sarcastic and hilarious familiar, was on her shoulder. The petted the raven, who tuned into the radio often. Kiru smirked, vowing to listen to quite a few songs and have the bird memorize them so that she and her classmates could get quite a few good laughs out of its sick sense of humor that resembled her own, just on a much more hyperactive note that had been tormented out of her as a child. It still didn't stop her from loving it.

She walked up a few flights of stairs, looking around, and stopped short at the familiar face of Neville Longbottom, one of the boys in Harry's year and a fellow Gryffindor of his. She followed him, knocking lightly on the door after letting the boy have a word with his parents. She smiled softly, and the boy's face paled as a shadow loomed over Kiru. She raised her eyebrows, no doubt in her mind as to who was behind her acting as bodyguard again.

"Sorry," Kiru smiled softly. "May we come in? I've got a few questions I'd like answered, if that's alright with you, Mrs. Longbottom."

"Augusta," Severus nodded curtly. "I suggest you take a seat, Mr. Longbottom, _before _you give yourself a panic attack from my mere presence."

"Eat Lime, scumball! Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the fledgling raven sang happily. "I shall not fall! Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"You'll be falling if I catch you singing that again, you insensible bird!" Severus snapped as he flicked his wrist at the small bird. "You haven't been my daughter's familiar for an entire week and you already drive me mad. How _does _she live with you?"

"Oh, come on, dad!" Kiru grinned. "Skullduggery didn't mean anything by it! he's just being funny, aren't you, Skull?"

"When you leave my colors fade to gray! Numa numa, eh," the bird now sang just as O-zone had, "Numa Numa Numa, eh. Every word of love I used to say – now I paint it every day!"

"Okay, we get it," the old woman snapped. "What do you want, girl?"

"This girl is his daughter," the raven spat in Mufasa's deep voice, replicated from Kiru's watching Disney's _The Lion King _series with Draco Malfoy. "And _your _future queen!"

"Oh, I shall practice my curtsey," Severus smirked.

"Don't turn your back on _me, _Scar," the raven quoted, and the four Longbottom family members stared at it.

"Oh, no, Skullduggery – perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me," Severus retorted as he brushed a finger against one of the bird's tail feathers. The bird roared, just as Mufasa had in the movie. "It seems I have won this round."

"My precious," the bird rasped out as he hopped closer to Kiru's ear, sounding exactly like Gollum. Kiru laughed as the Animagus chuckled in amusement at the bird.

"However did you get him to sit through every bloody Disney movie that you showed those poor wizard-raised children?" Severus said shaking his head. "And to make it worse, you showed him the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. You should have shown him Star Wars, Kiru."

"Do or Do not. There is no try," the bird said in Snape's voice, and he again swatted at it with a loud squawk of alarm coming from the bird. "Quothe the Raven – nevermore!"

"Quothe the Professor – shut thy mouth," Severus retorted immediately. "Now."

"P-Professor? Why's the bird talking?" Neville stuttered terrified and trying to back away.

"He's a raven, Longbottom," Snape sneered. "that's what magical raven familiars do. They're a hell of a better use than a bloody owl. Well, except Hermes. I swear, that old boy has yet to fail me even though I've put him through hell and back with all my antics."

"So that's where I get my school-time antics from," Kiru grinned. "I always thought it came from some unknown gene in mom, but it was you!" Snape shot her a dark look. "right, sorry, the business. Neville, Mrs. Longbottom, what would you say if I told you I thought I'd found a way to get your family members back to normal?"

"that's impossible," the old woman spat. "Snape, I suggest you get your child out of my sight! Neville and I already get enough from you as it is!"

"It's true, Augusta," Severus spat. "Kiru has found a way to bypass the insanity that the Cruciatus curse, and even memory curses, inflicts, and can heal people of their mental problems with the greatest of ease. All she needs is a few minutes with Frank and Alice and they'll be as good as new, as though Bellatrix never got their hands on them. Kiru is the one who killed her, you know, Augusta. At least let her try, and if something goes wrong, I will rectify it with any means possible at my disposal."

"Your word?" the old witch snarled, and Severus nodded.

"You have it," Severus said solemnly as he opened the door for them to leave as well. "Skull, you need to come, too. Sixteen or not, Longbottom, you need to come with me."

"Come with me if you want to live," Skull said mimicking Arnold Swarzeneger. Kiru smiled and chuckled as Neville bit his lip.

"I – I want to stay. I – I want to be there for my parents," he said shakily, trembling into the back of his chair and away from the potions master. "With all due respect, Professor, they need to know I'm alright as soon as they wake up so they don't panic and think I'm dead. And – and they might get confused as to why they're in a room with nobody else but a teenage girl they didn't even know existed, sir."

"I'd be docking points for insubordination if we were still in school, Longbottom," Snape snarled feral, but softened his expression visibly as he continued. "However, you are right. If I had gone insane, I would want my child to be there when I was awoken from the hellhole. However, I want you to know that if word got out of what Kiru is about to do, she will die. It is to be completely secret, level ten out of five, Longbottom. Can you handle that?"

"yes, sir," he said confidently. "I – I'll make the Unbreakable Vow if I have to."

"That will not be necessary," Kiru said simply as she gazed at her father. "We all have our secrets, and I'm sure that I'm not the first one to be accused of being a monster. Now, if you don't mind, father, I'd like to get on with trying this new tune mother taught me while she was visiting me last Halloween."

"Fine," Snape huffed as he slammed the door behind him.

"Finally," Kiru hissed as she pulled out her Ocarina. "This, Longbottom, is an Ocarina. Only a descendant of Slytherin can use it, and whenever I play certain tunes, a corresponding thing will happen depending on the tune. The only tunes I learned so far were all spells that are reversible with a general tune known as _Hime's Song_. The tune I will be using today, however, is permanent. Are you really willing to take this leap of faith in a Slytherin, a Musiclancer daughter of the greasy dungeon bat, even?"

"I heard that!" Snape snapped from the other side of the door.

"Yes," Neville said with renewed confidence. "I – I want to – no, I _need _to do this. I haven't done anything yet to make my parents proud of me except my grade in Herbology. Do what you need to do, Snape."

"Good," she smiled warmly. "Your parents would have been proud of you for that, I'm sure, Neville. Now, if you feel the need to be healed, go on ahead and listen, but if not – cover your ears. I'm not sure what this song will do to a sane person if they hear it. Dad, can you get me the most powerful muffling spell you have, please?"

Kiru felt her father's magic flare as he cast his most powerful _Mufflatio _yet, and she smirked as she knew she'd gotten her chance. Neville had his hands clamped over his ears, and a large pair of extremely thick earmuffs as well. Kiru began playing, the notes coming simply to her at first, and repeated the song a few more times as she watched the faces of Neville's parents leave the pallor they'd once had and return to their normal state. The almost glossy looks in their eyes were gone, and their eyes were beginning to shine with more and more light as she kept playing. With careful playing, she finished, and stepped back to watch the magic of a parent's love unfold.

"Neville," they gasped as they took their son into their arms. "How? You – you were so small! How did we get here? Where's Bellatrix? Oh, I'm going to hex her into next year!"

"She's dead, ma'am," Kiru said proudly. "I stabbed her in the back – literally. If you don't believe me, ask my father, he saw the corpse and reported it."

"P-Professor Snape saw the corpse?" Neville gasped, and the two adults stared at him.

"I can see there's a lot to catch up on," Frank Longbottom said wisely. "Neville, how old are you now, son? How long have we been here? Judging by the white everywhere, I can only assume we're in St. Mungo's…"

"I'm – I'm sixteen dad," Neville said fondly looking into his father's eyes. "You've been here for almost fifteen years."

"Damn," Kiru muttered in perfect Japanese. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. Wait, if we have a muffling spell, how will he be able to hear us? Crime in Italy, I completely forgot about that!"

"Wait, Neville," Alice said gently. "Did you just say _Professor _Snape? As in, Severus?"

"You know him?" Neville gasped. "Oh, thank heavens, you can get him to stop being so cruel in Potions!"

"dad's only mean cause you keep melting and blowing up cauldrons," Kiru retorted. "He's mean for a reason, Neville, his own teacher just kept letting the students make prudent mistakes and not even caring for the consequences. Hell, his teacher once had a Hufflepuff's kid's cauldron blow up – literally – and the old walrus did nothing except get every last bloody one of his students – except my dad, since he'd thrown up a defensive spell in preparation for the explosion he knew was inevitable – to the Hospital Wing! He's just making up for what his teacher did wrong, and is trying to make sure that none of his students are in danger from each other's potions!"

"The child's right, Neville," Frank said firmly. "I know Severus. Granted, his temper often gets the best of him, but he's not a heartless jerk as much as everyone thinks he is. In fact-!"

"one more word out of you, Longbottom, and I'll remove that little healing that Kiru did to your brain by Obliviating this conversation from your mind," Severus sneered as he walked back in with the old witch trailing and fuming behind him. "hex me, woman, and I'll curse you into next week."

"I second that notion," Kiru added. "Hey, dad, can we go interrogate this Lockhart Professor that I keep hearing Draco ranting about when it comes to incompetence?"

"I'd love nothing more than that, my dearest daughter," Severus smiled evilly. "Perhaps a few tricks and aces up our own sleeves to ensure that he never again goes into the writing business?"

"Hell yes," Kiru fist pumped with glee, catching herself, "I – I mean, uh, _heck _yes."

"what I thought," Snape sneered. "Or, Kiru, we can scare him even more by revealing my animagus form, or perhaps by using Skull's uncanny gift of quoting movies and songs? Speaking of which, there's a song I'd like for him to memorize and sing to Minerva that I've been _dying _to do so. Perhaps I shall barge into your Transfiguration class, no?"

"Ooh, ooh," Kiru said excitedly. "Does it have anything to do with a cat? Cause if so, then I'm in! Oh, this is going to be good! I can't wait! Oh, can we do it during break between mine and Harry's class periods and maybe for another bout as well? Tell them you have an announcement that concerns both of our classes?"

"Kiru, you evil genius," Severus smiled. "You most definitely have inherited my Slytherin brain."

"I _do _try to make you proud, father," Kiru blushed just before the potions master noticed another familiar face. "Who's that, dad?"

"that, Kiru," Severus said quietly. "is one of the most out-of-place students I have ever taught. The fool was horrible at Potions, but somehow a genius at them when it came to ones pertaining to illnesses, and likewise for Charms. It was obvious that he was destined for St. Mungo's staff – his skills were rivaled by that of Chessie."

"Professor Snape?" a man asked as he straightened up in alarm. "Wh-what brings you here, sir? Can I help you find someone?"

"Gilderoy Lockhart," Snape smirked. "Kiru and I were on our way to see if he was well enough so that he could return to his… monster hunting… before the school year resumed."

"_if _the git has any brains left," Kiru laughed. "From what I've been told by two eye-witnesses, he tried to use the _Obliviate _spell on them and it backfired onto him because the wand he'd stolen from one of said students was broken! Quite funny, really, that two twelve year olds defeated him, when he _claims _to have defeated all these monsters. Load of rubbish if you ask me!"

"Kiru, manners," Snape scolded harshly with a sneer. "Although, the child speaks the truth. The bloody git kept calling himself 'Magical Me'. What I wouldn't _give _to have wringed his sorry neck at the time."

"Raawk, Sorry neck," Skullduggery squawked, this time mimicking a parrot.

"Skull, that is _more _than enough out of you for one day," Snape snapped. "I swear, if you weren't Kiru's familiar I'd be stuffing you and baking you a pie and using your feathers in potions. And cease the dramatics, I've had more than enough of it for one day, you ignescent bird."

"Ah, so terribly rude of me," the man said sheepishly shaking his head. "I'm Wellhearst. Dillon Wellhearst, a Hufflepuff. And who are you, my good lady?"

"Kiru 'Bat Shadow' Snape, at your service," Kiru smirked. "I'm the daughter of our infamous Potions Master, and the heiress of Slytherin and Potions."

"Ah," the man said blushing slightly and backing off. "Sorry. Um, right this way, Professor, and young Lady Snape."

"Chicken good," Skull squawked and the older Snape shot him a look that questioned his sanity while the younger one had to focus all her wits to keep from smirking. She _did _have her father's irrefutable reputation to uphold. It then turned back onto Snape's voice, "Stop that bawling, you prepubescent half-wit, or I will call your mother."

"Skull, _do _shut up before I turn your tail feathers into potions ingredients," Severus snapped, and the bird squawked as he hopped up and down on Kiru's shoulder's. "Oh, no, Kiru get a hold of your bird, I will _not _be kicked out of here for his lack of toilet training as of yet."

"Nah," Kiru shot back. "Skull's a smart bird, he knows where he can and can't poop to the point that he will and wont get us kicked out. Besides, I wanna see Lockhart with poop in his hair, don't you?"

"I had my doubts when she introduced herself, Professor," the Hufflepuff admitted. "But I can see the full truth of those words, now, sir. She is most definitely your child, cruel and twisted sense of humor, dark and creepy, wearing black in the heat of summer , Potions expert if I'm correct about her preceeding reputation from the rumors, and all. In short, she's a miniature of her mother on the outside, a miniature you on the inside. It's both indearing and … terrifying … at the same time, to be perfectly honest with you, Professor."

"With the way her mother raised her, I have no doubt that ninety-five percent of what she says or does will either be hyperactive or cruel," Severus smirked evilly. "With my own demented mind mixed in somehow. She was brewing her first potion at age four on the stove, much to her mother's extreme dismay and anger since curses, runes and Charms were always her specialty."

"Yikes," the man shuddered as she entered the room that Skull had flown into, which contained a beaming Lockhart. "I – I'm glad I'm out of Hogwarts now, sir. I never thought I'd say that, but that day has come. She's a Slytherin, I presume?"

"To her core," Severus smirked. "I must admit, I was quite shocked when McGonagall called out her name. the one girlfriend I had had left me for some idiot Gryffindor, and I hadn't the slightest idea that she'd been pregnant at the time. She drove the hat – and the students – insane while it tried to sort her. I'm not sure what she did, but it took a full twenty minutes to sort her."

"So, what was the holdup, surely as her father you must have _some _sort of clue?"

"Very Slytherin, Wellhearst," Severus smirked. "Yes, she screamed and flung the hat across the hall when it tried to get into her mind. Scared me half to death and I thought she was dying so I ran up behind her to catch her. Needless to say, her past in that household wasn't the best, and I regret not going to check to see if my ex-girlfriend had conceived my child or even raised her."

"Ah, so it was this little one that was in the papers a few years ago with her mother's death and her disappearance?"

"Yes," Severus confirmed. "And no, I had nothing to do with that. Those bloody Marauders did just like they always intervened whenever I tried to settle down and start a family. First their leader with my childhood sweetheart, and then that bloody dunderhead who followed the leader around like some lost puppy had to find the second girl I was considering as a backup – AKA, Kiru's mother. Then the werewolf intervened – don't ask – and finally that bloody fourth member, Wormtail caught up to Kiru's mother after the second Marauder abandoned her and killed her. But, at this point when she showed up I was just happy she was alive and well. In a way, she's an insane asylum all to herself, and most certainly gives me enough trouble as her head of house and her father to account for such. But, in the end, her insane antics somehow end up working for the greater good of the school or the wizarding world than anyone could have ever guessed."

"So, you're saying she's as manipulative as you-know-who used to be?" the man asked incredulously, and Severus smiled and shook his head.

"Oh, no. She's worse, she's much, much worse. She's able to see through, decipher, and counter every one of his plans just by having five minutes in that dimwit's presence," Snape boasted. "Which happened at the end of the Triwizard Tournament two years ago, need I add, at the end of her first year. I don't even need to bring up the fact that as skilled at Legilimency and Occlumency as you-know-who is, even he can't get past Kiru's unblockable shields, and even the masters have the _hardest _time of this daring task. And that's just her first year. She outsmarted the entire Ministry of Magic this past school year and got one of her own teachers fired for angering her against my family enough to use the Unforgivable curses – which I'm sure you've read about in the Prophet. They actually got all their facts right for once since one of the witnessing students was the author."

"Wow," the healer said shocked. "What house was he or she in?"

"Hufflepuff," Severus sneered. "I gave the boy fifty points for omitting out some of the minor details that I would prefer to be left out of public eye, such as my age, the ages of my children, and the names of my wards. Yes, I house more than one pubescent teen, and I swore to myself that the day that happened would either be the day that Potter became a saint or that the apocalypse was on its way very quickly. As you can see, both occurred."

"Potter? The infamous rulebreaker, Harry Potter? A saint, sir? How is that even possible? Oh, wait, no, never mind. this probably has something to do with house rules and punishments that run in your family, don't they?"

"AAAAAAH! MY HAIR! MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!" a loud wail came from inside Lockhart's room, and Severus surged forward to survey the damage. He smirked because sure enough, Skullduggery had pooped right on Lockhart's now-flat hair. Kiru was smiling like a cat that had just eaten a canary, and Severus looked around a little more to find that the poop wasn't the only culprit in this room.

"Kiru," Severus warned menacingly. "What did you and Skull do this time?"

"Um," she said with a smile. "Skull pooped in his hair, and … I tore up a few photos and nabbed some more to use as scratch paper and a bunch more to sell or something like that. Why?"

"You'd best be happy I don't believe in corporal punishment," the animagus snarled as he led her out.

So, yes, Kiru does some damage with her new familiar. I wanted Skull to have a sense of humor that would make people laugh so that I could let Chessie and Kiru grow up finally.

Anyhow, reviews? Please?


	4. Horace Slughorn

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

"Come on, dad," Kiru grinned widely. "I've got literally dozens of Lockhartians – or so they call themselves – following me and asking me if I can get an autograph since I've been in the prophet with you a few times. I _do _have a Slytherin brain, and I have every intention of selling every bloody copy of that half-wit's photos that I took. _Signed _photos."

"You'll be putting all that money into the family bank account if you're not careful," Severus snapped moodily. Skullduggery was now singing '_It's My Life_ by Bon Jovi, one of Kiru's favorites. "Skull, what have I told you? Shut up, you dratted bird!"

"Bad boy, bad boy, what'ya gonna do? Whatch'ya gonna do when they come for you?" Skull began singing, and Kiru smirked at her new familiar and his antics. This was the best stress reliever she could have asked for, and she was truly honored to have a raven for a familiar. She'd already lost far too many for her liking – she couldn't have been able to stomach or live with herself over the death of another, and all witches and wizards knew how rare and revered a raven was as a familiar.

"Skull, there's a song I'll need you to memorize before we go back to school. You see, I know someone whose animagus form is a cat," Severus said, and the bird simply looked at him with a gleam in its eyes that had never before been seen in any of Kiru's familiars.

"Call in the Replacements," the bird sang from a cartoon show's theme song. "I'll see what I can do, Severus."

Kiru smirked wider, and petted her new familiar just as they walked into Diagon Alley. People stared as they passed, awed at a raven for a familiar, and Severus turned into an apothecary. Kiru's eyes widened at the ingredients, and to her horror saw why her father had turned into that particular shop – an old colleague of his, or his own teacher perhaps, was sitting across the counter looking like a walrus. Kiru had to focus to keep her face impassive, but this man's demeanor – and stupidity at not noticing them so soon – was quickly getting on her nerves. She whispered to her father that she was headed to the Weasley twins' joke shop, and left the building slyly without being noticed. She gave Skullduggery a request to stay beside her father to find out what he was up to and report to her after dark.

"Horace," her father said curtly, and the man startled from the photo he was looking at of a red-haired woman. "Still pining after Potter, I see."

"Severus, m'boy," the old man, Horace, said happily as he got up from the stool. "What can I do for you today?"

"Sev ain't nobody's boy, old walrus," Skullduggery said in Kiru's voice.

"That's enough out of you, Skullduggery," Snape said waving a hand angrily at the familiar. "The next time you say that word I really _will _take those tail feathers of yours one by one and burn them in a potion!"

"Sorry, Professor Spoilsport," the bird apologized. "He still looks like a – shutting up."

"What I thought," Severus said darkly.

"Oh, so this is the slimy git that never did anything but baby you guys into being a bunch of blubbering idiots!" the bird said happily in perfect Japanese. "It's a horror to meet you!"

"Um, Thank you?" Horace said confused. "I understood 'It's a … something… to meet you. Do you understand her, Severus?"

"Indeed, I do," Severus said calmly with a smirk. "Horace, I'd like you to meet a very snarky brat as well as a familiar, Skullduggery." At that moment, to prove the potions masters point, Skullduggery began singing 'Best Friend' by Aqua, much to Severus' embarrassment and shame. "I apologize; he's not the best mannered bird, very foul-mouthed as you can see."

"No, no, it's quite alright, m'boy!" Horace cried gleefully. "This is the first time I have ever met someone with a raven familiar, it is said to be quite rare, and you're so young! Tell me, however did this happen?"

"I wonder that myself," Severus said tartly as he glared at the bird.

"To be, or not to be. _That _is the question," the raven said. "Four dead familiars compared to five dead siblings of mine. I felt the similarities and made my choice."

"Hai," Severus sighed. "Umbridge killed four of the five familiars for who knew why. She killed the snake first, then dog, then basilisk, and then the owl… that new History Teacher, Bitachina, I think her name was, killed her during the summer while sending her with mail to a colleague of mine. I recall the law books saying it was illegal to kill familiars."

"I should ruddy well hope so!" Horace cried indignantly. "This is horrible, an outrage, I tell you! A teacher killing a familiar to a colleague! We don't have high paying salaries, as you well know, Severus! You must do something about this!"

"Dumbledore will do nothing," Severus grumbled as he twisted his neck around to pop it loudly a few times, making the old man wince.

"My dear man, could you please refrain from doing that? It's horrible for your health," Horace said worriedly towards the former Death Eater.

"I don't see why she should stop," Skullduggery intervened. "Sev does it all the time, especially with his back, knees, and elbows!"

"Skullduggery!" Severus shouted, and the bird dipped his head and let out silent apologies as Severus cast a silencing charm on him. "Blast, Horace. This is _not _a social visit. The headmaster would like for you to come back and teach Potions."

"No, Severus," Horace denied firmly. "Don't get me wrong, m'boy, but you're much better suited for the job than I am! Your classrooms haven't blown up yet, my good man, and mine did on a very frequent basis, if you'll recall…"

"Oh, I recall," Severus snapped. "However, I think you'll find that we have no Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Albus wants me for that post."

"Lily," Horace said sadly looking at the photo he'd been looking at before. "His mother was friends with you if I recall, and one of my brightest Potions students. Second only to you, Severus."

"Really? I was under the impression her potions were better than mine," Severus snapped angrily at the old man. "You always chose hers over mine, every day, Horace. I'm no fool, I know when I'm not appreciated. If I can't teach those children defense, nobody else will, and I can't teach Defense and Potions at the same time."

"Severus, I'm an old man!" Horace Slughorn cried out.

"Indeed, Kiru," Snape said stiffly. "Well, this is good-bye, Horace. I doubt you'll meet the school's infamous necromancer while you're there. Well, I'd best leave you walling in your misery, then."

Just as he left, the old walrus burst out of the Apothecary, yelling out "Fine, I'll do it! But I want a pay raise, Severus! And that talent bundle had better be in my office first thing after the welcoming feast!"

"Idiot," Kiru murmured as she rounded the corner with a few joke products in her hands. "So, what's up with all those famous idiots on the wall? Did he teach them all or something?"

"Yes," Severus said, knowing she'd been extremely observant just as he taught her to be. "You and Harry would be the prizes in his collection. You're powerful, Harry is both powerful and famous. He collects them, and uses them to get things that he wants in life after you've graduated. I advise getting into that little club, if you want to lose your mind."

"So, if I got into that little club, what would you do?"

"Hex you and ground you for a year," Severus sneered. "I will _not _have my daughter screwing up like I did. He is one reason I did some of the foolish things I did in my days of folly and misery."

"Ah," Kiru said simply. "So, what'll he teach? Potions, or Defense?"

"Potions," Severus said like it was obvious. "I've been trying to get that Defense job since before Harry was born, child, and mark my words, I'll be damned if I don't get it this year. We're almost at war, pet, and I'm fairly sure you'll need to have Fawkes ready and able to help you with those Phoenix Tears. It _won't _be an easy task for you up ahead, my child. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," Kiru answered automatically. "I'll do anything for you, daddy, you know that. Even if it means making the same mistake you did to free you and everyone from it."

"I don't want that unless it is absolutely necessary," Severus said sharply. "However, I would like a little bit of help with a task that Albus has given me, and that has been given to Draco."

"Oh no," Kiru murmured, realizing what was going on.

"Yes," Severus said simply. "Narcissa has told me herself, and it is not a pretty sight to behold at all, my dear. Your – our – beloved dragon bears the marks of a warrior now. There is nothing we can do except to help him in the battles that he has been required to fight."

"How can I help?" Kiru asked, her eyes blazing with anger.

"How can _we _help?" Skullduggery corrected.

"Here's what I need you to do, Kiru," Severus said softly as they made their way towards Gringotts to talk inside the Prince Family vault in secret.

(Flashback End)

Just as Kiru was thinking about her father, he was thinking about her while on his way up to the owlrey. Severus looked around in the Owlrey as he went to take a message for Hermes to deliver it. He sighed in defeat, having not found his owl here for the first time since he was in school as a first year. The owl was, however, very old, and may very well have passed on by now, even if he was a very healthy black one that looked like royalty and eerily resembled a bat. Severus went down to the dungeons to start brewing, and was disappointed to find Minerva McGonagall on her way upstairs for the feast.

"Severus," she said softly with tears in her eyes, and it was then that the Potions Master noticed her burden.

Hermes was dead, and was wrapped in a towel that was soaked in the bird's blood.

* * *

Hermes is Snape's owl from when he was a kid. He'll get a new familiar before the end of the next chapter.

Reviews are extremely appreciated. They're like cotton candy at one in the morning.


	5. Train

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

Harry, Hermione and Kiru were preparing for the trip on the Hogwarts Express. The male knew it was the last time that he would ever be able to call Prince Manor his home, and he would be leaving to Privet Drive the next summer to live with Dudley until the wards were broken on his birthday. The other Half-bloods and even some of the Muggle born students were terrified as to why their sleeping arrangements had been altered drastically during the next summer, but Severus and Harry knew that Grimmauld Place was the safest place for the Muggle born students to be, no matter what. It was under some of the strongest wards, and anyone who dared enter in (that wasn't in the Snape family) would immediately be shot with dozens of hexes and jinxes nonstop until they were half dead.

Kiru was extremely unhappy about this fact, but knew that if all went well, Voldemort would be long since dead before the end of her own fifth year. Her father would be headmaster for a year, she'd get treated like royalty, and Harry would be missing from the maps completely. They were all extremely smart, and they all knew how Dumbledore's plan was to play out now in counter to Voldemort's. Kiru and Hermione were so upset, but they also knew that this was for the best. Kiru had only told Hermione that it was a plan of Dumbledore's that had upset her, and the brunette had understood somehow.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose tightly as he stepped into Malfoy Manor at eleven o'clock that morning, just as the train was leaving. He'd left Chessie at home, and knew that Dudley would also have to be moved the next summer. Doubting not even for a second that Voldemort was furious at not being able to get past Harry's shields all summer, Severus was wary of his master's rage as he walked in. He sat down in silence, staring up at the small, thin frame of the Muggle Studies teacher that had been harping on Chessie every spare minute of every day once she'd found out that he was married to the brunette. She was sobbing, and being levitated in the air and bound with magic, having been subjected to the Cruciatus curse numerous times, no doubt as a result of his master's wrath at latecomers.

"Severus," Voldemort sneered, "How nice of you to join us. Tell me, was this the woman that was driving your wife and daughter mad?"

"Chessie and I, yes," Severus answered evenly. "Kiru, no, as she never came in contact with this teacher, I made sure of it."

"To keep the bad blood and foolishness out of our prodigy's ways," Voldemort said almost happily and proud. "Well done, Severus."

"Severus, please," she sobbed. "Please, don't let him do this. I'll do anything, just please… please…"

"Tell me, Severus," Voldemort continued. "What are your feelings towards studying Muggles?"

"I think we should get to know how best to kill them, my lord," Severus answered immediately. This was somewhat true – he'd always had a grudge against Tobias, and heaven help him he would _not _turn into his father! "As I'm sure you're aware, my father was a foolish one with alcohol."

"Ah, yes," Voldemort grinned maniacally. "Your first kill at age sixteen, and extremely well done and constructed, Severus. The Muggles thought it was a normal murder, and as did the Ministry of Magic, and since you had an alibi with Sarabella that night, nobody suspected you. Very well done, indeed, Severus, I was right about you. Not how I attacked my own Muggle father, but it was rewarding nonetheless once I framed my mother's deranged older brother, Morfin."

"I'm honored that you would speak so well of me, my lord," Severus said, taken aback. "I have spoken with Kiru and she's leaning towards becoming a Death Eater, but she would still like to place emphasis on her courses of study so that she may become a better asset to the armies."

"I see," Voldemort said thoughtfully. "Let's say that she become a Death Eater, helps Draco get their fellows into Hogwarts, helps him kill Dumbledore, and rises in the ranks to be my right hand girl, equal to yourself only. After her task is complete, I will approach on a rare occasion so that she may continue studying and surpass most others her age. Does this sound suitable to her likings?"

"I'm sure she would be more willing with this new plan, my lord," Severus said carefully, "But I'm afraid that I will still have to ask her first. She can be extremely picky sometimes and very… cautious … in her decisions."

"See to it that you do, Severus," Voldemort grinned. "Now, Lucius, about my diary that I left in your possession to use should I be vanquished… how did you manage to get it destroyed?"

"I – Well, you see, my lord," Lucius stammered, quivering in his chair.

"You may go, Severus," Voldemort said. "I want an update next time on Chessie."

"Yes, my lord," Severus said before apparating back to the Shrieking Shack. He raced back to the castle to reach the Staff room just in time for a meeting. He half expected to be bombarded by questions, but his former Potions teacher was gone and nowhere to be seen.

'_Humph! Good riddance! Wait, then how am I supposed to teach? Shit, I hope he actually comes. If not I'll have to hunt him down and skin him alive! Or have Kiru use the Requiem of Spirit again. Perhaps Nearly Headless Nick or the Bloody Baron could help?'_ Severus contemplated silently.

.o0O0o.

Kiru, Harry, Hermione, and Draco were all sitting in the car together when Horace Slughorn walked in and plopped himself next to Kiru, who immediately swore in Parseltongue and moved over to sit next to Harry. Well, to her it was sitting, but to the others, she was crouching and eating far too many sweets.

"I swear, Kiru, you're watching too much Death Note," Harry said shaking his head. "And I seriously hope that Professor Snape didn't teach Skull the song I thought he did, because that will land you in detention for sure."

"Not if he times it right," Kiru smirked evilly. "And I must admit that this is going to be extremely good of a school year. Well, if my hunch is correct, which I'm hoping it is."

"So, Harry, m'boy, what house are you in?" Horace asked, and Kiru glared at him.

"Nobody asked you to be here, you know," she said calmly. "Or was my Parseltongue not spelling it out enough for you?"

"Come now, child, you're not saying that you hate me already?" Horace asked offended.

"Anyone dad disapproves of for a Potions Professor, I disapprove of, especially since you let your students blow the lab up numerous times like he says you did," Kiru retorted matter-of-factly. "And while I'm at it, you need to stop using students for your own personal gain? I think that one of these days, you're going to be forced by a student to right the wrongs you've made in the past, and mark my words, old man, when that day comes…"

The pregnant yet deadly silence that hung as Kiru's threat dangled was so thick that even Snape himself could only occasionally produce in classes. Kiru's mind went back to the discussion she and Severus had held at the vault.

(Flashback, Kiru PoV)

I stared at the necklace that dad had taken from a petty thief in Hogsmeade. This necklace was rightfully mine, not Voldemort's, yet I could already sense he'd tainted it with Dark Magic. I needed no explanation: this was the same Dark Magic I was sensing in Harry, the same one Skull said faintly lingered on the destroyed diary (which was now lying below a bench somewhere on the floor of the room we were in), as well as a number of other things.

"Okay, so we've gotten rid of four of them," I said thinking aloud. "And we know that he was a thief by nature. What would possibly catch his eye aside from Slytherin's locket?"

"The other artifacts from the other heads of houses," Skullduggery suggested. "Hufflepuff had a cup, Ravenclaw had a diadem, and Gryffindor had a Sword, but that last one's clean except for Basilisk venom."

"There are other artifacts as well," Severus said softly. "Something of value from his mother's family has been brought to my attention, and destroyed. So, in short, the artifacts of the three founders are what we need to search for. It won't be easy at all, Kiru. I'm warning you now, child, you're in for hell if you think you can just up and leave the school like that during the school year."

"The song of Soaring allows me to go wherever I want," Kiru defended. "And the Elegy of Emptiness creates a hollow doppelganger of me to take my place for a day or however long I need it in one room."

"Not bad, bran-girl," Skullduggery said proudly. "Well thought out. Slytherin's locket is no doubt a Horcrux. Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's items are missing, and the diadem was most likely placed somewhere by a descendant of theirs. Any ideas?"

"The Grey Lady," Severus nodded. "Shy, but I was able to talk to her in my school year without worry for fear of her acting too much like Myrtle. She's Ravenclaw's only child, I'm sure she might have a clue."

"Or, Voldy tricked her," Kiru said thoughtfully. "He _did _trick Slughorn, if I think about it."

"Ah, but as did I," Severus said calmly. "Oh, and he keeps trying to use more and more things to bribe you into joining his club."

"Sluggie or Voldy?" Kiru asked, and Severus scowled and put his arms across his chest. "I'll take that as a 'both'. So, what about our plan? Do you think it'll work?"

"I don't know," Severus said sadly. "I hope it does, but I sincerely hope that Harry knows what he's doing. I've got two muggle born students that are brothers who are going to be used to cast the blood wards around Grimmauld Place. Dudley can stay there next summer after we move Harry. I've also got a pair of Muggle born sisters who will act as guardians over Number Four Privet Drive. Am I making any sense?"

"Yup," Kiru nodded. "But, but dad, what about Spinner's End?"

"I will protect it with my own Blood wards. There's something I forgot to tell you, Kiru… about your mother…" Severus trailed off, not sure of how to word what he knew. "She – how do I – oh bloody hell I may as well say it – she used the Imperius Curse on me and made me sleep with a Muggle born Ravenclaw that looked almost identical to Lily Potter. And, how shall I say this?"

"If she conceived your child, said child would be coming to Hogwarts this year?" Kiru surmised, and the potions master nodded. "Great. Okay, alright. Yet another half-sibling I've got to put up with. What's so bad about this one?"

"You know her," Severus said calmly, "But not very well. You only met once or twice your entire lives. I believe, and I hope I'm right, and that she'll go to Slytherin. And, Kiru, don't yell at me, but – Hebiga's dead."

"What? NO! You're lying!" Kiru shot back not wanting to believe his words.

"I'm afraid not, pet," Severus soothed. "She – killing her was Draco's initiation. Killing Pettigrew was yours."

"But I didn't kill him!" Kiru protested, and Severus shook his head.

"The Dark Lord thinks otherwise," Severus said calmly, his anger seeping into his voice. "And it is best for him to think that. Hebiga wouldn't have needed to be killed if she'd stayed in her place like we'd told her to and not disrespect the purebloods."

"Fine," Kiru grumbled. "But do I have to become what you are, dad?"

"Yes, child," Severus sighed, "You do. There's no other choice."

(End Flashback, 3rd PoV)

"So, Kiru, what're we going to do since I'm a Muggle born?" Myrtle asked, and Harry's eyes widened in shock at the blatant question in front of a Death Eater in training. He shook his head, not knowing what would happen before the end of the war.

* * *

So, any ideas as to who Kiru's half sibling is? Here's a hint: I'll be killing them anyways I think.

Reviews are pretty.


	6. Have You Gone Batty?

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

"Snape, Eileen," Professor McGonagall called out, and everyone's blood froze, including Severus'. He knew for a fact that he didn't father this one, as he hadn't slept with any woman in between Sarabella's fling and marrying Chessie.

The tiny girl hesitantly stepped forward, unsure of herself, and stumbled as one of the others used a tripping jinx on her. she put the hat on her head, trying her hardest to hold back tears.

**Ah, another Snape. Tell me child, do you know a man named Severus? No? Well, you must be the child of his missing sister, then. What was your mother's name?**

_Sarah Snape. I – I'm not in trouble are I? I – I mean, am I? I – I didn't mean to – to hurt them like that it just – it just happened. I didn't mean for them to die when I switched their alcohol for rice wine!_

**But you wished for the wine to be poisoned?**

_Y-yes. But I didn't think it would happen! I knew I could do magic, but I didn't mean to do that to them! I feel so bad about it, now… I shouldn't have poisoned them… but it was the only way I could get them to leave me alone! They never let me talk aloud while at the orphanage!_

**Your mother's brother is on staff. Do not fret. You also have a cousin in the house that he is over.**

_What's his or her name?_

**Kiru Snape. I sorted her four years ago. It's a pity your mama… became an angel in childbirth... I recall that she was a very bright half-blood, while your father was a very power-hungry half-blood. For the sake of tradition, and to get you to know your family, I think I know where to put you, especially since your uncle is the head of the house.**

"Slytherin!" the hat yelled out, and Severus' eyes narrowed, then widened in shock.

He recognized who this child was now. As soon as all the sorting was done, the food appeared, and the small girl was immediately shut out of any and all conversations at the Slytherin table, and she ate very slowly, only starting after most of the others began eating. Abuse, he diagnosed quickly, and sighed in exasperation at his small relative's abilities and uncanny misfortune of lineage.

After finishing his food, Snape left the feast early, having alerted Minerva to his plans for his trusted companion. Sighing in defeat as he buried his trusty owl of more than twenty years, he flat out refused to use magic, and was extremely unhappy now that his familiar was gone. First almost all of Kiru's, and now his own was dead. He was only grateful that the bird had been healthy up until he died of old age and had remained loyal to him. He'd left even before the prefects, and was now being swarmed by bugs. He heard a slight flapping of wings as he finished, and got a face full of fur and confusion.

"What the bloody hell?" he snapped as the small winged creature ricocheted off his face and fell towards the ground.

With one swift movement of his wand, however, he caught it, and realized that what this tiny creature didn't have was eyesight or coordination. It was – literally – as blind as a bat, and was a bat. He jerked as he realized that the tiny thing hadn't run into him on purpose. No matter how often he used magic to keep it from falling, it just kept coming back and ramming itself into him. He lifted his wand arm, and the tiny creature struggled to latch onto something on his robes. He held his fingers out like a fan, and the tiny creature latched its feet onto his index finger in a frenzied ball of fur, its breathing rapid.

He walked back up towards the castle, banishing the shovel he'd used with his wand and cleaning his clothes after that. He still held his left hand firm for the tiny creature, and held his left arm so that the small mammal could rest and fall onto his arm and not the ground should it lose its grip on him. He knew that familiars were always attracted towards their witches and wizards, but this was ridiculous since the familiar had found him within hours of its predecessor's death and was an infant to top it off!

"Professor, what's that?" a second year asked as he walked into the Slytherin common room, "What's that on your arm?"

"I believe," Severus said thoughtfully, "That it is my new familiar."

"Hermes is dead? Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Professor!" Pansy Parkinson gasped in horror at her favorite teacher's losing his trusted friend and comrade. "H-how? Was he in pain?"

"Yes," Severus said calmly, his face an emotionless mask. "He was healthy until he died of old age a few hours ago. This little one kept ramming itself into me when I was burying Hermes, and I figured I'd see just what the hell this thing was."

"So, what is it?" the second year asked again, and Severus raised his hand to get a closer look.

"Hm, a bat. How ironic," he smirked. "Now, should I call it 'Greaser', 'Dungeon', 'Gannon', 'Kage', or Akuma?"

"Sir, why not choose the name for it yourself? Isn't a familiar tied to its witch or wizard from when it is extremely young?" one of the girls asked.

"Yes, they are," Severus said. "However, this is the first time I have ever seen a familiar this young in all my years. This little bat really does make a mess out of – what the bloody hell now?"

The bat took flight and swooped around the common rooms, chasing bugs, but went back to Severus' hand since it wasn't fast enough. It was panting, and was now wining pitifully.

"Can we keep him, dad? Please?" Kiru begged, and Severus glared at her.

"I'd be a fool not to accept a free familiar," Severus said calmly. "You should recall that little discussion with Skullduggery, Kiru. And how often must I tell you, that while we're at school you are to address me just as you would any of your other teachers?"

"Sorry, sir," Kiru said lowly. "Why not choose the name Akuma? It means 'Devil', after all."

"Jiyu," Severus smirked, "Now, first years, step forward. There are rules that you need to know and get in your little heads before I leave, but I shall leave that for your prefects. I will suffice to say that unless Kiru is directly involved in some way with whatever is wrong, or unless it is a dire emergency, I do not wish to be disturbed unless it is absolutely necessary and the prefects are unable to help you. If you have a problem, take it to the prefects, and if they can't handle it then they will bring it to me. Now, listen to the prefects, they will lay down the rules and regulations of the Slytherin house."

"All right, half pints!" the male prefect yelled out. "Listen up! While we're the most hated house in this whole bloody school, which will never go away I can assure you, you will act as one! If you've got a fight, leave it in the common rooms! I don't want any divisions among us to be seen in public, and if we catch it, you _will _be punished!"

Severus heard no more since he slipped out to go to his private quarters, and Skullduggery followed after him silently. Strangely, the raven was getting along with the DA teacher's new charge, and the exhausted Professor fire called Hermes' healer to get a checkup on the tiny new familiar. Within moments, she appeared in the fireplace, worried over the old owl. Her demeanor changed when she saw the tiny bat, and she gasped audibly.

"Hermes is dead," she stated. "And this little one must be your new familiar, am I correct, Professor?"

He nodded, and the witch immediately began to get to work on the winged mammal.

"I want to say it's a male, but I know it's about a month old, that is probably quite hungry by now, sir. He's probably missing his momma, and will still need to be fed for a couple more weeks, I'm afraid. He can learn to hunt from the owls, I'm sure, if they don't eat him," she diagnosed quickly. "He is more than capable of flying, but was probably too tired from his long trip to do anything more but to get to you. He was probably attracted to you because you were outside attracting bugs."

"Not on my watch, little lady," the raven said perching himself on Severus' shoulder, and the witch took a step back. "I'll show him how to hunt for insects, no problem. This little guy can also learn how to get fruit and other stuff off of Uncle Sev's plate."

"Since you so foolhardily landed on my shoulder, Skullduggery, you may also get a checkup with our animal healer. Healer Smith, this is Skullduggery, my daughter's familiar, and a constant headache when I am trying to grade papers. I know Skull, and he won't let anything happen to Jiyu at all unless he's ambushed with no alternatives," Severus said shaking his head and smirking. "I don't know why he chose her when we were sight-seeing, he just did. You'll have to ask him."

"I already told you, you pea-brain," he said imitating Horace's voice, and Severus laughed.

"Skull, that is the one person that would never, ever, insult me because I was his most prized student in his classes," Severus laughed. "To hear his voice insulting me is the ultimate irony I can think – no, wait, I've got a better one. Skull, you wouldn't happen to know the song called 'I am the Walrus' done by Jim Carrey, would you?"

The healer burst into a fit of laughter and laughed even more as Severus told her his plans for Minerva with Skull acting as bait. After about half an hour, both familiars had a clean bill of health, and the witch had given her former Professor a list of things that the small bat would need until she was able to get back to him. Severus was polite and offered to pay her, but she simply smiled sadly and told him that she'd pay for it for the time he'd saved her life after she'd incorrectly brewed a potion and had to be given an antidote within mere moments in his classroom. She left before he could pay her, and he sighed as he looked at the tiny winged mammal that was smaller than his hand.

"Well, Skull, I think you should head back off to Kiru's room so she doesn't panic without you," he grinned. "Jiyu, you have everything I could have wanted, little one, and I have named you appropriately because you have the one thing that I cannot, and will not ever, be able to have. Freedom. Shit, not again, damn it! I just saw him yesterday, he should know it's the first day of terms!"

"What's wrong, Severus?" Minerva asked as she stepped out into his office from the floo. "Oh, you're being summoned. Hagrid said he saw you outside alone getting assaulted by something. Are you alright?"

"Fine," Severus snarled, clutching his dark mark in pain. "I'm fine. Jiyu just startled me, that's all."

"Jiyu?" the witch asked in confusion, but stared at her colleague's new familiar in amusement and forced herself not to laugh. "A bat? Do you realize the irony of this, Severus?"

"Yes, yes, I know," he hissed. "The greasy bat of the dungeons has a bat for a familiar. I know, it's not that funny, Minerva. I've still got to make sure that Jiyu gets the right fruits and insects that he needs to survive."

"Here," the older animagus said as she transfigured Hermes' old perch into a new nest for the tiny bat.

Severus stared at it. it was oddly shaped, and had a bar hanging over a circular nest lined with grass and hay, with quite a few of Hermes' feathers mixed in. he was fairly certain that his bat was a male, but the healer had been unable to diagnose the gender, if he recalled correctly, which he wasn't. His little bat was a female, and its momma hadn't abandoned it – it had been eaten by an owl.

"Thank you, Minerva," Severus said softly as he took the tiny rodent over to its new nest. "Here, Jiyu, your new nest. Come on, little one, stop being a coward." Hesitantly, tiny step by tiny step, the bat repositioned itself onto the next, but the metal was too slippery for her little claws to handle and she fell into the next of hay and feathers.

"It's not a problem, Severus," she smiled. "I'm sure you'd have done the same if I was in your shoes and you were in mine."

"Indeed," he scowled. "Well, how did the students react to my being Defense Teacher? Were there any other complaints from your house after the feast?"

"Oh, yes," she frowned. "I almost had to hand out detentions. A large number of them accused you of being a Death Eater and putting the headmaster under the Imperius curse."

"I'm hoping I can put a stop to his insane idea," Severus said, but froze suddenly. "Wait, that's – I can't believe – why didn't I see it before? Kiru can use the same song on the headmaster that she did on Frank and Alice Longbottom about a month ago! She already knows his plan, but if she were to be the one instead of me, she could play a different song to help out or something!"

"No, Severus," the headmaster whispered through the fire. "Could the two of you come up to my office? I need to talk to you both about this upcoming school year."

Within moments, they stood in front of him and he was reviewing his plans for the Order and defeating Voldemort. Snape brought up his idea, but it was immediately shot down by his boss saying that in order for Voldemort to come out of hiding, he needed to believe Dumbledore dead and that meant that Dumbledore had to die after Severus hid all the Horcrux artifacts around England for Harry to find next year. Severus knew that Kiru would know all the locations, and that she would help guide them, but that Ron would have to be gotten rid of for good if this was all going to work.

"Severus, let the Weasley atone for what he's done," the old man said quietly, "If not for the young ones and the Weasley family, for Harry and Hermione. Besides, it is only fit and fair that the young one get his own fair chance to redeem himself, just as you have had my boy."

"Get rid of Horace," Severus snapped. "One person calling me 'my boy' is enough, but if he calls me that one more time I will hex him into oblivion with Kiru helping me. And I will personally ensure that he gets humiliated in front of the entire school, headmaster, so if you find Skullduggery interrupting your little speeches, could you let him carry on, if you would, please? He knows not to interrupt you, I made sure."

"Very well, Severus," the headmaster said with a mischevious twinkle in his eyes. "Does this have anything to do with his ability to speak and mimic? If so, then I would appreciate if he did not do anything to insult me."

"He won't," Severus grinned evilly as he left the office, passing Slughorn as he went down. "Horace."

"Severus," the old man said, "I'm so terribly sorry to hear about poor Hermes! Are you alright, my boy? Can I help you in any way? A new familiar, perhaps? Help grading papers while you look for one?"

"I appreciate the offer," Severus said icily. "But a familiar found me while I was burying Hermes on the grounds. Jiyu is resting on her perch in my private quarters. At least, I _think _Jiyu is a female."

"Oh? What is she?"

"You'll see," Severus smirked as he continued onwards. "Good night, Horace."

"Good Night, Severus," he said wistfully. "Oh, could you rejoin me at the Slug Club meetings, my boy?"

Severus decided to pretend he never heard this last part of his mentor's farewell. He almost shuddered to recall that his mentor was the one who'd taught Voldemort everything he knew, without even realizing what he'd been doing at the time.

"Would you ask the same of Tom Riddle?" he retaliated, and Slughorn paled as the new Defense Teacher walked away.

* * *

Yeah, I know I said that before, but I changed my mind. Hades – I'll try to use that sometime.


	7. Tempers at Play

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

Severus was rewarded the next morning as Jiyu slept right through the night and awoke early for breakfast. The headmaster stood up to address the student body in one gathering place, eyeing Skullduggery suspiciously. After the usual speech, he was just about to tell them to dig in when the raven flew in front of his face and twisted his head, opening his beak silently for permission to continue.

"Ah," the headmaster said. "As you can see, one of our beloved Slytherin house members has a new familiar, and it is a Raven. Do treat him respectfully, as they are the more sacred of familiars. Do you wish to have anything to add, Skullduggery?"

"Yes," the bird sneered in Severus' voice before flying over in front of Horace Slughorn, who was sitting next to Severus, and began singing Jim Carrey's rendering of 'I am the Walrus'.

The new Potions teacher went beet red, flushing with horror and embarrassment, and the entire student body was now laughing uncontrollably along with most of the teachers. Even Severus, who was usually perfectly calm and collected, was chuckling at the crazy bird's antics. When Skull was done, he flew to perch on the black-clad wizard's shoulder as the food reappeared with a chuckle from the headmaster.

"Severus," Horace said at last. "I would appreciate it if you got control of your new familiar. That was most unsettling, my boy."

"Call him that again and I'll make it worse, Horace," the bird threatened darkly in Voldemort's voice, causing Snape to shudder.

"Skullduggery, don't you _ever_ imitate that voice again while you're in the same room as me," Severus said darkly. "Or I really will take a match to your tail feathers. Horace, Skull isn't my familiar – he's Kiru's. No, Jiyu is my familiar, and she's – well, looks like she decided to join us for breakfast today."

"That's!" Horace cried in disbelief.

"Hello, big girl," Severus said gently as his bat landed on the edge of his hair and latched on. "You must be hungry if you're up already. Here, batty."

"A bat for a familiar?" Horace asked confusedly. "But – Which student is Kiru, again?"

"You'll see, later, Horace," Severus said coldly. "Come along, Jiyu, I have schedules that need to be passed out, my little flying fox."

She squeaked a few times and began flying circles around his head, and delivering some of the schedules to the students who were mingled up. After a while, it was done, and Severus held his hand aloft for her to cling to while she rested. He began petting her and some of the other students stared in awe at their dungeon bat of a teacher having gotten a bat for a familiar, and a small one at that. He smirked in pride at his little rodent, knowing that the students would probably be calling her "grease's idol" soon, if his reputation as the "greasy dungeon bat" was anything to go by. He grinned at Kiru's having Potions, knowing it would be chaos for Slughorn in that first bout of insanity.

"Kiru, I've been told to let him collect you," Severus whispered in her ear. "Be sure to give him hell for me and make sure that you make me proud, princess. Oh, and you'll recall the other Snape whose name was called last night? She's your cousin. Find her, and make sure that she's not alone like you were those first few weeks. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, Professor," she said happily. She scanned around, and her little cousin was sitting alone dejectedly poking at her food while almost drooling at it. She pointed at her cousin, and Skullduggery flew over to get the girl to come over. She looked around, spied her head of house, and hesitantly padded over.

"Y-you summoned me, sir?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Eileen," he said putting a hand on her back gently. She flinched, and he began rubbing it. "Eileen, this is your cousin, Kiru. She'll be helping you if you need anything, and is almost always available if I'm not, which I will do my best to be. My office is in the dungeons, right between the Slytherin common rooms and my private quarters."

"S-sir? Th-the hat said that – that you knew my mom. Is – is this true?" the first year asked terrified.

"Your mother was the best little sister I could have asked for," he said as he sat down next to her. "Don't fret, Eileen. Your mom – she was one of the bravest people I knew, even though she was in Slytherin as well. Your father – well, you'll meet him soon enough. I'm warning you, Eileen – he's one of the scariest people I've ever met."

"I second that notion," Kiru butt in.

"And he is a very – well, I'd rather not discuss him here. Come by my office at eight o'clock on Friday night, child, and we can finally have some bonding time as a family," he said gently. "I'll be able to use the Floo Network to get us back home to introduce you to your aunt Chessie and your other two cousins."

"Yes, sir," she said as her eyes began glowing with a pride of sorts. "S-sir?"

"Do not fret," he said, "I already know your problem. Prefect Bree has already told me. There's something I need you to do for your Uncle Severus, Eileen. I need you to read your potions book and be good."

She nodded, understanding that Potions ran in the blood if he was telling her to read the manuals and alter them. She left for her first class – Flying. She couldn't help but wondering who the teacher was and what he or she was like. She hadn't been able to hear the old man's announcement the night before – she'd always had hearing problems ever since one of the older boys in the orphanage had pushed a pen into her ear and made it bleed. That had been one of those times where she'd wished that she'd gone to the hospital, but the matrons at the orphanage just wouldn't take her unless it was life threatening, so she wasn't able to. Now, as a result, even years later, the effects were still haunting her and would most likely be permanent unless she could find this fabled necromancer. She wanted to, desperately, but for the life of her didn't know where to begin, and had begun to read the Potions textbook when the door burst open to reveal a strange woman with amber eyes. The roll began to be called, and all the first years were responding with vigor.

Halfway through, Eileen's ears plugged up, and she panicked. She couldn't tell what she was saying, she'd never been able to learn how to read lips, and was at a loss for what to do. She knew she was in trouble when she called out a few names, but when she said a name a few times with no results, the boy next to her nudged her, causing her to cry out in pain as he jabbed one of her many bruises.

"Miss Snape, I presume. You're not answering. What in Merlin's name is wrong with you, girl?" Madame Hooch asked to his temporarily deaf Slytherin.

"I- I'm sorry, Professor!" she began sobbing uncontrollably. "I – it's not my fault! One of the boys took a knife to my ear when I was little and now I'm deaf sometimes! I'm sorry! I – I never learned sign language or how to read lips because nobody ever bothered to teach me! They just thought I was too stupid to learn anything!"

Madame Hooch sighed, gripping her own broom tightly. This was bad, and she was already at the end of her rope with these little first years. These kids were now so quiet you could hear a pin drop, if it weren't for his niece's sobbing hysterically.

"Fine," she snapped pulling out her wand to write her a message. _'I understand you're upset, but you need to calm down. I'm not angry with you, child, now that I know what's wrong with you. We'll take you to the Hospital wing for Madame Pomfrey to give you a proper checkup later. Right now, by show of fingers, how often have you been to the hospital, Eileen?'_

"N-never, ma'am," she sobbed. "Not unless I was gonna die…"

Madame Hooch had never felt so enraged in her life. She struggled to control herself, gripping her broom tighter and reciting famous Quidditch students of hers in her head to calm her flaming nerves. At that moment, Skullduggery flew over with Jiyu following in suit towards the class.

"Yo," the bird said happily. "What's up, fellow flyer?"

"Skull, I need you to take Miss Snape to Madame Pomfrey. Be careful, she's deaf right now, and I'm not sure when her hearing will come back. I'll also need you to alert the teachers that she has today – in my voice, mind you – that she is in the hospital wing for a proper checkup," she ordered as she turned to write the orders to the tiny first year Slytherin. '_Eileen, I need you to go with Skullduggery. He's your cousin's familiar, he won't hurt you, but he'll lead you to someone who will hopefully be able to find out what's wrong with you. Don't worry, I'll handle your other teachers. What is your schedule?'_

"This, then Charms, Lunch, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark arts, ma'am," she replied with a few hiccups and sobs.

"That makes it easy, then," Madame Hooch said with a sigh of relief. "The heads of houses are teaching you today. Skull, you know where to lead Eileen. And I want no funny business, bird, I mean it. This is serious, and possibly life threatening if left unhindered."

Eileen, with a little encouragement from Madame Hooch, followed the raven into the castle and down the hall. Once in the hospital wing, the medic ran a diagnostics charm and was shocked to find what was ailing the small child, as well as the dozens of other injuries on the small child. She was glad Skull had stayed around, and told him to get Severus to come to the hospital wing as soon as humanly possible, which wasn't needed since he stormed into the ward in between classes, with his tiny little bat acting as carrier for the tiny parchment he'd received from Madame Hooch.

"Severus," the medic said sorrowfully, "I'm glad Rolanda caught her on the first day. She – she's been abused at that orphanage the Aurors forced her into. She's part deaf, there's blood buildup in her ears, but I should be able to clean it up with a little help and trust on her part. She's got bruises all over her body and – and I'm afraid that at some point, she was raped. I'm – I'm so sorry…"

"Those little bastards," Severus growled angrily. "I should have known. All right, give me a few minutes with her, as her head of house and her uncle. She won't be going back there, not as long as I'm around to ensure it. If I'd known my sister was still alive, this never would have happened."

Severus quickly wrote out in thin air to his niece that he needed her to trust the medic enough to let her help the tiny Slytherin. He promised that he understood her pain, and that if she was good for Madame Pomfrey the whole time, he'd give her a reward that she wouldn't soon forget. She stared at him, having never been rewarded before, and he had to quickly explain that he was a wizard of his word and never went back on it at all. Eileen silently nodded in understanding after her uncle explained that the old witch had also performed this scan on Kiru and himself. He flicked his wand, switching her school robes for hospital wing Pajamas on his way out to the classroom.

"You think he left?" Ron asked excitedly, and rather loudly.

"In your fondest dreams, Weasley," Severus retorted as he stormed in. "We had a health issue last class that I needed to attend to for one of my Slytherin first years."

.o0O0o.

"Snape, Kiru," Horace called out at the same time that Madame Hooch had called out Eileen's name. Kiru raised her hand tiredly, and the old man looked at her. "No relation to your new Defense Teacher, is there, child?"

"Yes, he's my father," she sighed, sick of all new teachers and students asking this question. "And before you ask, no, I don't know why he's teaching Defense this year instead of his usual Potions. Truth be told, I couldn't care less what he taught as long as he stays the head of my house."

"Oh? Would you care to brew something for us, Miss Snape? Did your father teach you how to make a Draught of Living Death?" Horace asked curiously.

"Hah! That beginner's potion? Yeah, he taught me, and he also taught me how to make the Polyjuice Potion, among other fifth, sixth and Seventh year potions!" Kiru snorted. "I'm telling you, me with Potions is like Granger with spells! You name it, I can brew it!"

"Very well then," Horace grinned happily. "Your father didn't much care for my teaching methods, I'm afraid, when he was in school."

"_You _taught _dad_? Wow, how old are you? Ninety?" Kiru asked incredulously. "I know you taught you-know-who, too, so you have to be at least eighty. Wait, no, if I'm correct – one hundred or so."

"What?" Horace yelped. "Child, I'm sure your father would be very disappointed in you right now. But, alas, you probably inherited his mouth as well as his potions prowess. I admit that he was often throwing around insults at a group of four perfectly harmless Gryffindors…"

"The Marauders were a pain in my dad's ass, and if you _ever _mention them to my face again, I _will _bring them back from the dead, kill them, and repeat the process until you get it through your skull that they are _not _welcome in conversations with _any _member of the Snape family," Kiru snarled angrily, her knuckles and fingernails turning white as she gripped the table to keep from throwing a fit. "And for the record, they almost killed my dad in their fifth year, and what happened from it? Nothing! Dumbledore did _nothing _to stop them and their precious little schemes and so called 'Pranks'! No, the pranks always humiliated and endangered people, and I'm glad that three of the four are dead! They got what they deserved, and I'd be more than happy to dish out their own medicines to their backs while they had let their guard down! Don't you _ever _talk about those damn Marauders in front of me again, got it?"

The room was silent, and the entire class knew that Kiru was out for blood if this new teacher wasn't a coward. They knew she could hold a grudge, but the fact that someone had ganged up on and almost killed their feared Potions master while he was in school terrified them, and also made them happy that said people were dead. It meant that they were safe, for the most part, and all were on edge as he moved on to take roll, sweating bullets. It also explained why he was always able to keep an eye out on everyone, as well as his excellent defensive and dueling abilities, and why he hated Gryffindors so much.

Right as the bell rang, Kiru jerked open the door and left in a huff of fury, the other students looking back at their new potions teacher with sympathy, a few Gryffindor students going up and comforting him saying that he wasn't the first one she'd scared the crap out of, and told him about her prank on Umbridge on Halloween, and how Bitachina had been found ruthlessly murdered next to Kiru's dead owl familiar during the summer. Nobody knew quite who had done it, but that it was a massive amount of cutting curses that had been performed, and that they had simply let her bleed to death ruthlessly.

Nobody dared to talk on their way to Transfiguration, and the old animagus sensed the fear, and in Kiru's case, rage, in the classroom. She gave them the assignment, and Kiru's rage fueled success tenfold from her normal, and the teen's rage was very much founded upon, the old witch knew, and so she held the teen after class. She talked calmly with the teen, letting her know that she understood the rage, and that her father would have been both proud of her bashing the Marauders, as well as disappointed that she'd threatened his old teacher. Kiru snorted and left in a silent fuming rage, and the animagus quickly looked at the child's schedule only to find that Severus was up next after lunch. She sighed, knowing he'd be able to calm the enraged teen down without a hassle.

* * *

Okay, so Kiru's got Snape's temper, and well, I'm just going to call it hereditary. Yes, I'm a fan of the Marauders, but I'm also a Marauder basher since they could have killed their fellow students thousands of times over in each school year. There are other fics of mine that go along to my fan side of the Marauders – like _Slytherin Marauders_.

Reviews are very much appreciated.


	8. Not So Pampered Princess

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

Kiru stormed into the Great Hall, her entire house having already gotten news of her temper tantrum in Potions by word of mouth, and the other houses were on just as equal of an alert. The entire school knew by now that she'd inherited Snape's infamous temper, and that he wasn't going to scold her since it pertained to the Marauders. Nevertheless, Horace attempted an apology, to which the fourth year almost threw a giant hissy fit. She was a hair's width away from doing so when her father put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Enough, Kiru," he said sharply. "Who did what now?"

"Walrus," she snarled, "Was babying those precious _Marauders _like they were some angelic force sent from above to be treated like angels! And to top it off, he said _you _were badly behaved when it was the Marauders that threatened everyone's lives on a weekly basis!"

"Horace," Severus growled. "I don't know what the hell Kiru said, but if she goes through with that promise, I won't be punishing her. _Don't _mention the Marauders in front of either of us again, and I'm sure that if you wrote to Lupin, he'd explain why everything they did was wrong. He always was the brains of the bunch, even if he was somewhat of a coward, and somewhat … foolish."

"I apologize, Severus," Horace said simply. "I didn't realize that she knew who the Marauders were. I didn't realize that you had almost been killed by them. What happened?"

"Lupin," Snape snapped. "Ask him, not me. I'm bound by secrecy and the Unbreakable Vow. Kiru, eat your lunch and come with me once you're done."

She ate like lightning, hurrying so that she could go on ahead to his classroom, but was confused when he led her to the hospital wing. She sighed heavily as she saw who was lying down with Q-tips covered in cleaning potions shoved in her ears. She knew Eileen wouldn't be able to hear her, so she simply sat down and held her little cousin's hand for comfort and to calm down. She was furious still, but calmed down now that she was out of the way of her walrus of a potions teacher, who wouldn't even let her brew when he'd challenged her. Oh, she hated the man, that was for sure. She was desperate to help her cousin, and the smaller girl whined in protest at the potions.

"I'm sorry, girls," Madame Pomfrey said at last. "But I'm afraid that my cleaning solution will be doing more harm than good. Kiru, you're a Musiclancer, is there something you can do?"

"There's the song of healing," Kiru said. "But I'm pretty sure that only works on mental problems. It might help since this is a permanent problem."

"I – I can hear!" Eileen cried out excitedly after the song was played. "I can hear again! How?"

"I'm a musiclancer," Kiru shrugged. "The song I played will heal any permanent damage that cripples someone in a drastic way. For example, your ears were deafening you. Frank and Alice Longbottom were returned back to their normal state from before they were tortured with the Cruciatus curse for hours on end and being in St. Mungo's for fifteen years as a result."

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much, Kiru-chan!" Eileen cried happily. "Oh, but now I'm late for Transfiguration, I think!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure dad will give you an excuse," Kiru grinned as she led her cousin to the classroom she needed to be in. "Be warned, she's an animagus. She can transform into a tabby cat, so watch out."

"Thanks," Eileen grinned sheepishly. "Is Uncle Severus an Animagus?"

"Yeah, his is a black King cobra," Kiru grinned, and Eileen's eyes widened. "It's true, no lie. Actually, I think that's what our lesson's on today. Oh, crap, I've got Defense right now!"

Kiru scampered off back to her father's classroom and opened the door just as he was in the middle of the lecture. He ignored her, and she sat down to take notes. Sure enough, it was indeed on the properties of an Animagus and the differences between them and werewolves. Kiru had quite a few answers for her father since he was one, and he even drilled her about whether or not magical creatures were an option. She grinned, assuring him that they were and that the most famous one was a Phoenix animagus by the name of Merlin.

"Now, does anyone know of an animagus – aside from Professor McGonagall?" Severus asked, and nobody but Kiru put their hand up. "Hand down, Kiru, I know you do. Nobody else? Well, you're all a bunch of incompetent dunderheads that haven't been paying attention."

Jiyu swooped in, carrying a piece of parchment. Severus read it, sighed, and glared at Kiru, who had her eyes glossed over in meditation and wasn't paying the least bit attention anymore.

"Professor?" Hebiga asked hesitantly. "Wh-what's going on?"

"Kiru helped one of the other students break out of the hospital – Kiru, stop that this instant!" he snapped as he saw her begin to transform. "I never said you could try to transform, and the next person who tries gets sent straight to the Ministry of Magic for trying to become an illegal Animagus! You have to be registered to become one. You can ask anyone who is one."

"Are you one, sir?" one of the girls asked, and Severus rolled her eyes and dove to land himself right on her desk in cobra form, hissing angrily. The students, naturally, screamed, except for Kiru who was again trying to figure it out.

"_**That's your last warning, Kiru,**_" he hissed angrily. "_**The next time I catch you, you **_**will **_**be punished!**_"

"_**But, dad, that's not fair! Why can't I be an animagus? That's just not fair!**_" Kiru whined, and Severus lunged back to the front of the classroom.

"While in my snake form, Kiru brought up a very good point," Severus growled. "There are reasons that you cannot become Animagi yet, and the reasons are simple. There are two rules of being an animagus when you're registering. One, you must be of age, and two, you must have a legitimate reason to do so."

"What was your reason, Professor?" one of the girls asked.

"To spy in the war," Severus replied. "And anyone who asks which side is a fool. It shouldn't take a brain to put two and two together."

"But Professor," Kiru objected, "Professor Chessie said that one and one make three, or that sometimes it'll make four. What'd she mean?"

"You know good and well what she meant, Kiru Sarabella Snape," Snape snapped. "And don't you _ever _bring that up again in my classroom!"

Kiru grinned sheepishly and nodded. Skullduggery flew in at that moment, carrying yet another piece of parchment for the professor. He sighed, read it, and his eyes narrowed. Skullduggery started singing "Bad Boy" by Cascada, which Severus chose to ignore. The rest of the class passed without a problem, and he pinched the bridge of his nose in disgust as the bell rang.

"Two feet on the differences between Animagi and Werewolves, and the laws and regulations concerning them," he called out at the end, and the first years were led by his tiny niece, who was excited about hearing again.

"Professor Snape! Kiru fixed it!" she cried happily as she raced up and hugged him, despite his furious demeanor. "She fixed it! You don't have to worry anymore, Professor!"

"Good for you," he murmured, this tiny bit of news almost making his day. Kiru had been a hellion, and he hoped for the life of him that Eileen wouldn't follow her cousin's footsteps. "Take your seats."

"Killjoy bitch," a Gryffindor murmured, but immediately shut his mouth when he saw his Defense Teacher's evil glare. Eileen was close to tears at all the insults that were being thrown her way for no reason aside from her being half-deaf before.

"There will be no silly wand waving in this classroom, and you will only practice the spells I am teaching you, is that clear?" Severus growled. "And swear words will _not _be tolerated from anyone that is not thirteen yet. You will need to learn to defend yourselves, and it is my duty to do so. Should you fail to follow my instructions, you will receive detention and your house will be docked points. Yes, even from Slytherin, should the need arise."

"Professor? Why was Eileen not in Charms class?" one of the Gryffindor students asked, and he glared at the tiny blonde girl. He grimaced, knowing he was in for a _very _long year.

Kiru yawned as she entered the Slytherin common rooms after dinner one Friday after class just weeks before Christmas vacation. Eileen was sobbing hysterically, and Prefect Bree had her hand around the tiny girl to comfort her. Kiru stormed up and crouched in front of her tiny cousin. She lifted her up off the couch gently and led her to their relative Professor for a Calming Draught or perhaps a study session to make up for what she'd missed. He was grading papers when they'd knocked, but eagerly let them in since they were family. He knew he was babying them, but he didn't care. Eileen needed to be babied some, she was desperate enough for it, and most definitely abused enough for it at the orphanage.

"Eileen," Severus said calmly as Dumbledore and McGonagall entered his office through different methods. "I need you to tell me what those other children did to you at the orphanage. If you don't tell us what's wrong, we can't help you, child."

"I – I get picked on by the older boys," she sobbed. "I – I remember one time I was crying after one boy said that my hair was greasy, and an older boy came up to me saying he would give me a surprise if I took my pants off. I refused, but he tore them off anyways and he – he – it hurt – it hurt so much, Professor! I went to Mrs. Quickly, but she said to stop crying like a baby and that men and women did that all the time for fun when they were alone and that I should have been proud to do that at a young age! I didn't want it, Professor, I felt like I was dying, I _wanted _to die!"

"It's alright," he soothed as he rubbed her back. "If anyone tries that here, they _will _be expelled. _Right_, Albus?"

"Of course," the headmaster said gently. "Rape is not something that is tolerated here at Hogwarts, and stealing isn't either. I remember another orphan who stole things as a trophy, and he turned out to be a very dark and foolish man, no matter how smart he was."

"Did you know my daddy?" Eileen asked, and the trio of teachers froze up, unsure of how to continue.

"I'm afraid that your father was that orphan, Miss Snape," Albus said gently.

"Does this mean I'm naughty and deserve to be punished?" Eileen sobbed, recalling how the orphanage punished her for whatever mistakes another orphan had made, always using her as a scapegoat.

"No, child," the two Animagi said firmly. "You are _not _your father, and neither are you your mother. You are your own person, and that will never change."

"But," she sobbed. "But it's true! I'm a freak, and deserve to be punished! Mrs. Quickly says so all the time, and… and she says that I should have died like my mommy and that my daddy should never have stayed at Wool's since her grandmamma took care of my daddy when he was like me!"

"Eileen, look at me," Severus snapped angrily. "I don't care what Mrs. Quickly taught you, we are going there this weekend with Veritaserum to get the truth out of those little bastards. All you have to do is point them out to me, and I'll make sure that they regret ever laying eyes on you. Little one, how many times did the older boys hurt you after taking off your undergarments?"

"At least twice a year," she sobbed. "They – they said that it was the only thing that was trashy enough to be my birthday and Christmas present! They said that if I told anyone, they'd hurt me like that until I died!"

"Do not fret, Miss Snape," Minerva said harshly. "You will not be going back there."

"Not to live, anyways," Severus growled. "We will, however, be giving those boys a taste of their own potions, so to speak. They won't be adopted anytime soon after I'm through with them, don't worry, and they most definitely won't be doing that to anyone else. Now, let me think, what animal thinks about mating more than anything else?"

"Severus!" Minerva cried out in shock, and Eileen jumped and hid under his couch for protection.

"Now look what you did, you old cat!" Severus said angrily. "Come now, Eileen, come out from under there so we can finish this. Don't make me get a truth serum, I will no matter how illegal it is to use on someone who isn't of age yet."

As soon as Eileen began telling her Professors every detail of every beating that she could recall, she couldn't stop. It hurt her inside to keep it all in, and now that she was finally getting an adult to listen, she had a faint but growing glimmer of hope that justice would be brought. Severus was furious, and was more than just angry at what was going on at that orphanage. She kept her eyes on the floor the whole time, keeping his handkerchief over her eyes to keep the salt water from flowing onto the floor, her robes, or his couch. This tiny girl had endured worse than he had, and he was sure to let his master in on his findings. He knew that it was up to him and his master to get back at those little brats for what was going on, and was more than happy that he was about to be summoned for a Death Eater meeting.

"He's calling," Severus told the two other Professors. "I'll need to take Eileen with me to meet him. He knows that she's at school, he's done the math and figured it out, and he won't leave me alone until I do so since Christmas is around the corner."

"Go," Albus said sadly. "But be careful. Take Kiru with you for extra protection."

"I will," Severus said calmly. "Kiru, Eileen, come with me, and whatever you do, stay silent."

He led them out to the Whomping Willow, down the path and to the Shrieking Shack. Eileen was visibly shaking since they were off of school grounds, and was in a room with someone of the opposite gender. It hadn't stopped the older boys before when a different younger girl was in the room when they wanted to rape her, and she knew that if she was terrified enough, she could somehow get away from him without dying if she was lucky. He held his arm out, and Eileen stared at it before gripping it tightly and he apparated into the lobby of the Malfoy Manor. He led the two girls through the manor and into the sitting room where Dolores Jane Umbridge was levitating above the table, shrieking profanities and anything unprintable under the son.

"At long last, the prodigal daughter returns," Voldemort crooned. "Ah, well done, Severus. I presume she knows of her lineage?"

"Yes, my lord," Severus said bowing his head slightly. "She knows everything. My lord, I'm afraid that her circumstances are – as Dumbledore put it – mirroring your own during your childhood, with Sarah's quiet spirit mixed in. I'm not sure how to continue, but it must be done away with, in my opinion."

"Eileen," Voldemort growled, "Come here and stand by me, child."

Eileen silently obeyed, unsure of what was going on, but knew that her uncle had given her father regular updates on her activities and health issues. Voldemort grinned triumphantly at the small, but extremely powerful and terrified, girl standing next to him silently scanning all the Death Eaters. She knew each one by name, but only from what her uncle had taught her.

"My loyal Death Eaters," Voldemort began proudly. "I would like you to meet Eileen, Severus' niece and my daughter."

* * *

So yes, Eileen is Voldy's daughter. Disturbing, I know, since he can't love. But, he did it to punish Severus for trying to save Lily. I know it doesn't add up, but all will be explained later in time. There are other factors that I can't reveal yet.

Reviews are extremely appreciated.


	9. The Legend of Zelda

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

The Death Eaters, except for Severus, gaped in shock at the tiny girl whose eyes were red and puffy from crying for hours on end in Severus' office. She stared at her father, unsure of how to go forward, and looked at the snake who was hissing at its master to take the child into his arms like a good two-leg parent should have done long ago. She was terrified of men, and most all males, but this one was different. She hesitated, and wrapped her arms around him, hoping she'd done right in her father's eyes.

All eyes widened, even Severus', at this show of affection. Voldemort's eyes latched onto his daughter, who was now shivering almost non-visibly. He sighed, then put his hand on her head, instructing her in Parseltongue the uses of the three Unforgivable curses. He grinned widely, knowing she was the perfect heiress for him.

"_**Tell me child, is that fool Quickly family still there?**_" he asked, and she nodded. "_**They never punish the boys, I assume. They never did punish me, and I got away with anything and everything I wanted.**_"

"_**Papa, what's rape?**_" she asked, and he froze. "_**The medical witch said that boys had raped me while I was in the orphanage. What's it mean?**_"

"_**You'll be going to live with your Uncle Severus,**_" Voldemort said quickly. "Severus, do you know of the legend of the Triforce?"

"Um, vaguely, my lord. I only know that whoever reunites all three pieces – Courage, Power, and Wisdom – will get one rule-free wish," Severus said warily. "I don't fully understand it, but I never really looked into it before. I thought it was just a bedtime story my mother told me, but I can look into it more for you, if you so desire."

"Do," Voldemort ordered. "Now, as for Sarabella – how did she get her hands on that Ocarina?"

"I haven't the faintest clue, sir," Snape replied, honestly dumbfounded. "It was an inheritance, I believe."

"I see. Go back to Hogwarts and begin researching into her lineage," Voldemort ordered. "And take the children with you. Has Draco succeeded yet?"

"No, my lord, but his attempts have been mediocre at best. He put someone under the imperious Curse to try to get a cursed necklace to the old codger," Severus said with a low bow. "Come, little ones, we have curfew, still."

"Coming Uncle Severus," the first year said obediently. She nestled into Voldemort's neck once more before leaving and following her cousin and uncle out of the manor to apparate back to school. "Uncle, what's a Triforce?"

"That," Severus said once they were in the Shrieking Shack, "Is what I was about to talk to you about. Now, Kiru, you recall the Ocarina that was your mother's? Well, it belonged to her mother and father, a couple by the name of Link and Princess Zelda. Your mother's name, Sarabella, was their idea to hide the Ocarina in plain sight since the laws of the Hyrule clan – your mother's clan – state that the royal family must always have two children to pass their heirlooms on to."

"So, my aunt was a princess?" Eileen asked in awe.

"No," Severus said firmly. "Link and Zelda came from a different dimension by means of the legendary Triforce in an attempt to get away from their own dimension, which Link was constantly rescuing from an evil sorcerer, Gannondorf. Now, Gannondorf was furious and followed them with his own clan's powers, the band of thieves known as the Gerudo. You've played the Legend of Zelda on a Nintendo, yes?"

"No," the two girls answered, and the potions master had to restrain himself from ramming his head against a wall. "But go on."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and began explaining their lineage, and why the Ocarina was in their hands. Link and Zelda's daughter, Sarabella, was a witch because of the combination of the Courage and Wisdom Triforce pieces. He explained the legend of the Triforce, as well as the significance that it was repeated every generation, no matter what dimension. Dumbledore was the one with wisdom and courage, while Grindlewald had been the one with the Power fragment. He explained that Link and Zelda had been forced to lead Gannondorf back to their own world to keep their daughter, and their precious Ocarina, safe. Severus nodded as he explained that the Ocarina in Kiru's possession was the legendary Ocarina of Time, used by the legendary Hero himself, and only a descendant of his could use it.

He explained that the Gerudo and Hylia clans were descended from Slytherin and Gryffindor themselves, with Zelda's lineage being traced back to Ravenclaw. Thus, the three began battling for power. It was Hufflepuff's idea to create the Triforce, he explained, and that the three goddesses, Nayru, Arore, and Din, were renderings of each of the three founders, with the clear space left open for Hufflepuff herself to use her own power to combine them and grant the wish when they were in harmony, which was almost never happening.

She was in theory, he explained, the Hero of Magic, the legendary hero that would be using the Hero of Time's power combined with that of Gannondorf's to defeat a descendant of Gannondorf's, which was otherwise known as Lord Voldemort. He showed Eileen her Triforce, wisdom, and Kiru hers, courage. It was custom for all wielders of the Ocarina to have the Triforce of power, and that it was also necessary to be able to wield the Ocarina of Time. Severus smiled softly, handing Eileen her own Ocarina, a pink one, the fairy one that Saria, the sage of Woods, had originally given the Hero of Time when he was but a small child, and reminded them that all seven sages must be present for Voldemort's horcruxes to be made null and void. Potter would be the one to destroy Voldemort, but unless the seven sages were summoned, all Death Eaters would run rampant. He'd been able to go to the other dimension and transfer over to them to explain his situation, and Link and Zelda's descendants, bearing the names of their ancestors, weren't at all surprised to find that their own problem was being repeated on Earth. He finished explaining, and the two witches stared at him.

"I'm a musiclancer, too?" Eileen asked, and Severus sighed. "Or am I just some tagalong brat that they gave birth to?"

"Nonsense," Severus spat. "You're not a tagalong, now stop whining. You're descended from Gannondorf of the Gerudo, who are all females except for one male in a hundred years, my niece. Now stop whining. We still have to get back to the castle and continue our research on our ancestors and the whereabouts of the Triforce."

"So, the Hero of Magic is like the Hero of Time, only instead of saving Hyrule's dimension, we're saving Earth?" Kiru asked, and he nodded. "And mine is one of two Ocarina of Time's that were made? Wow, dad. That makes me feel so special. Now what do we do?"

"We help Draco with his task. He's been assigned something, and we are assigned to help him. I don't care who you are," Severus warned darkly. "We, as the Snape family, must stay together at all costs. Eileen, you are the Half-Blood Princess. Your father is the Dark Lord himself – do not say his name, I'm sure you wouldn't even be able to get away with it – and your mother is a Hylia, the last living female one aside from Kiru. That is why we have nightmares, and why Eileen has pointed ears and can sense dark magic approaching quickly. However, I digress, and right now we need to get back to the castle before we get locked out. Hurry, young Gerudo."

"Wait, I have all three in my blood?" Kiru asked as they reached the entrance to the Great Hall, and Severus nodded.

"They're with me, Argus," Severus said darkly to the caretaker, and Mrs. Norris was winding herself throughout the two students' feet. Eileen sighed in defeat, knowing that she didn't have a familiar yet, and probably wouldn't for a long time.

"Professor," Eileen said sorrowfully. "Why don't I have a familiar?"

"Hm," he said thoughtfully. "Kiru's and my familiars chose us for who we were, and it's probable that yours just hasn't made its way to find you yet like mine had."

"Oh. Okay," Eileen said as she and Kiru went into Snape's private quarters for the vacation. They knew it was Christmas, and they knew that Harry was onto Draco, and were planning to tell him to bug off and that he'd handle it.

"By the way," Severus said as he went to their room to say goodnight. "It is up to the Hero of Magic to gather the seven sages, and he or she must go on a journey to the various temples to round up said sages, who are sleeping. Most of the time the sages are people that the hero has encountered before in his or her life and the sages will have ultimate rights in both dimensions as they go about trying to bring about justice. Now, be careful, and it will take a lot of courage to be able to go through all the temples. Are you sure you're up for this insane task? There's a reason each of our familiars is what they are. Gannondorf was well known for using Keese, or evil bats, in his dungeons to thwart the Hero of Time, and Ravens were often hated by all, but a talking creature was necessary for the Hero to get advice on where to go next. I'm not sure what yours will be, Eileen, but I'm sure it will have something to do with the fact that you are a descendant of the Gerudo clan. Ironically, the Hylia clan line is mostly males, so it crosses out the mostly-female gene in the Gerudo. Good night, my little half-blood princesses."

"Good night, Uncle Half-Blood Emperor," they said with insane grins on their faces as he used _Nox_ to take out the lights.

"Hey, Harry, what's the Legend of Zelda?" Kiru asked when they were at Slughorn's Christmas Party for the Slug Club members and one invited friend.

Harry and Kiru had eventually been recruited, albeit the latter still needed to watch her mouth sometimes. Slughorn was quickly learning to tell when she was in a bad mood by Harry staying next to her and speaking with her frequently in Parseltongue, which he took as a notion to avoid her until they took to talking to somebody else in the club.

"Horace," Severus said with a tall, lean, blonde standing behind him. "We need to talk. _Now_."

"Come, Severus, m'boy, it's Christmas," the fat man boomed happily, and partying immediately stopped as they stared at their two newcomers. "And who is this young man?"

"This, Horace," Severus sneered happily, "Is one of our replacements. It's up to the headmaster, and the Hylian himself, of course, to decide which job he wants."

"Defense," he said in perfect Japanese. "I want you to teach potions. I hear the children whining about him all the time. Can't you do something about him, bat?"

"Don't call me that," Snape snapped at the blonde tunic-clad male. "But I agree with you on that statement of preference. Perhaps a duel, Horace? The winner gets to keep the post of his choice, and the loser gets to go home. I've been meaning to duel you for a long time, but I didn't exactly want to for your old age in being my potions mentor."

"Fine," Horace huffed. "I accept your challenge, Severus! We can duel the day we get back to terms, are you happy with that? I should ruddy well hope so, because now I need to focus on getting a second!"

"Oh, I won't worry about that, Horace," Severus sneered. "My friend here will be more than happy if you resigned right now. Isn't that right, my old friend?"

"Yes," the blonde said in perfect English. "You should quit now while you're alive. We do not take lightly to battle, and when we fight, it is to the death more often than not. We also have very good hearing and eyesight, and are excellent fighters when you give us a reason. In fact, there are a few students of the same lineage as I in the room that you probably wouldn't have known about if I hadn't said anything."

"Get out!" Horace yelled angrily. "Now! If I see either of you in my dungeons again-!"

"_Your _dungeons?" the Hylia yelled as his face began flushing in anger, "My Kokiri, you have gone ravenous mad in your old age! You have claim to dungeons, then you are worse than Gannondorf and the biggest band of thieves I've ever laid eyes on! You aren't fit to rule these dungeons! Severus would be more fit to rule the dungeons, damn it!"

"Fairy, language," Severus smirked. "Although, I won't deny, you're completely right."

"Get out," Horace roared at the top of his lungs, and Kiru, Draco, Eileen, and Hermione (who'd invited Eileen as a courtesy to her adoptive Professor) came over to put their feet down. Harry, sensing their distress with the blonde male, and noticing the large pointed ears of the tunic-wearing man, came over to defend him as well.

"Sorry, Professor," Kiru said angrily. "But if you're kicking my dad out, you may as well kick me out as well and forget about me being in your stupid club anymore."

"I agree," Hermione and Harry said stubbornly. Kiru had invited Draco, they noticed, and thus was unhappily unaware of the danger they were all in. "If Kiru leaves, we leave. We're a team, whether you like it or not, Professor Slughorn, and we take care of our own, especially our leader."

"But, but," he sputtered, shocked that Harry was so angry with him for seemingly no reason. "This is preposterous! Harry, my boy what has gotten into you? Hermione, dear girl, you've gone barking mad!"

"No, professor," the Snape beneficiaries retorted angrily, "We know _exactly _what we're doing. Professor Snape is our leader, our alpha, so to speak, and we stand behind him no matter what."

"Fine!" Horace snapped. "Severus may stay! But the blonde must go!"

"Fine," the tunic-clad male huffed angrily as he left the dungeons, and Snape and the students followed after. Horace stood in a stupor, and Luna followed after Harry uncertainly, not knowing the source of her new Potions Professor's rage. "Stupid bigot."

"Language, dear Forest-raised Prince," Severus reminded. "There are students following us."

They looked over his shoulder to find that all those who had stood up to Slughorn, as well as a couple other students, had followed. He snorted in disgust at the walrus that Severus was being forced to compete with for the Potions position so that he could go on for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was all to foolish to him, but he didn't understand all the dynamics of this world. The only one that he understood thus far was that these students that Snape had taken in were loyal to him firmly and unwavering in all aspects. He knew what it would mean for him if these little ones were hurt somehow, and that for some odd reason, he felt protective of them.

"Loyal little ragamuffins," the blonde smiled at long last as they reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "I'm impressed Severus. Now, if I call you forward, don't worry – I just need to get the feel of your auras to make sure I'm correct. I may not have divination, but I can sense darkness approaching with my Hylian lineage."

"Okay," Harry said. "What's a Hylia?"

"We're a clan with special powers," he explained. "Some can sense darkness approaching, some are what you call a musiclancer – I am one of both – and some can use wandless magic from a very tender age without trying. Other have a combination of the three. Take my cousin Zelda for example. She specializes in sensing darkness as well, and can cast wandless magic with very little to no effort at all."

"So, is there a musiclancer in the school?" Eileen asked, and the Hylia stared at her.

"Your familiar, as you call them, hasn't shown up yet and won't show up until the Great Deku Tree sends her. That's how I was placed with Navi," he said furrowing his brow. "And I'm afraid that you won't get your familiar until it is time for you to complete your prophecy."

* * *

So, yeah… we're almost to the point where it becomes a crossover.

Reviews are my drive to keep writing.


	10. The Duel

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

Harry sighed in defeat. He knew of Dumbledore and Voldemort's plans, and there was nothing he could do to stop the onslaught of disaster. Unfortunately, Link had been forced to go home to save his own world, yet again, from Gannondorf and the Twilight Realm. Thus, all position changes remained the same. Slytherin's locket was in Chessie's possession, and under a powerful lock that would only answer to Chessie's blood.

The next object to find was the diadem of Ravenclaw, or better yet – the lost artifacts of Hufflepuff and the Gaunt family. It was now March, and Severus had demolished Horace in a duel, using a slamming curse before the older wizard could even properly point his wand. Needless to say, Slughorn's second, Professor Flitwick, was nervous about dueling the potions master. But before the Potions master could react, Gannondorf had attacked.

(Flashback, 3rd PoV)

Severus stood at the front of the Great Hall, all students' eyes on him and Slughorn. Fillius Flitwick was standing behind Horace Slughorn a ways, as his second. Severus turned around to face Kiru, who was acting as his second. Both teachers were astounded that he had chosen a student, until they figured out that it was his own daughter that he'd chosen. He'd drilled Defense and Potions into her as much as he possibly could during the summers whenever he wasn't focusing on trying to improve Harry's grades in Potions.

"Begin," Dumbledore said warily.

Severus twirled his wand, thinking of a powerful backlash spell and fired the stream of yellow light at his former mentor, who was sent flying sideways all the way across the Great Hall and landed in a heap just outside the dungeons. Students stared, but a portal opened and a very angry Gannondorf stepped through the portal.

"Where is the Ocarina?" he bellowed, and Severus stood his ground. Fillius Flitwick stared in shock, and Gannondorf sent a ball of electricity at Severus, whose protection shield did nothing to aid him. He could easily sense that this man was a wielder of extremely powerful dark magic. He knew that if he stayed here much longer, that Voldemort would team up with this new carpet-wearing baboon and likely be unstoppable.

"Relashio!" Kiru yelled as he sent it towards her, and it was sent flying backwards at the Gerudo, who was laughing his head off. It hit him square on and stunned him. "Yes, Bull's eye!"

"Hey, Gannondork!" Link had yelled at that moment, opening up a portal behind him. "Come and get me, Ge-_rude_-oh!"

He ducked into the portal, Gannondorf following after him swearing angrily, and both portals disappeared without a trace. It was at that point that Severus had lost consciousness because of all the electricity, and so Kiru was left to duel her Charms Professor. It was not easy at all for the first year, who was easily able to duck and dodge the older one's stunning and stinging hexes. She was grinning, ducking and dodging, and firing off a few curses every so often to counter her mentor's and cancel them out at the same time.

"Expelliarmus!" she yelled, and Flitwick's wand was sent spiraling backwards. She surged forward, grabbing him, and throwing him down onto the ground harshly.

The breath was knocked out of him, but it wasn't over, not by a long shot. He sent her flying just as Horace had been, but her fall was stopped by another portal opening and spitting out a very familiar face.

Sarah Snape had come back to Hogwarts, and it wasn't just her coming back that shocked everyone who was still awake. She was alive, and the entire student body knew that she'd displeased Voldemort and had suffered the consequences of death. Well, supposed death. What was shocking to them more was that she was smiling like an idiot, wearing all white in stark contrast to her brother, the Potions Master, and was even very much his opposite in every way. Where he was harsh, she was kind. She was patient, loving, and nurturing, while he was none of these towards everyone except Kiru, Eileen, and Hermione, Draco and Harry on his extremely good days if they were lucky.

"We await you, young heroes," she smiled softly. "You've made me proud, my daughter. You might want to work on that Parseltongue, though, and be sure that you use it to insult your father – I'm sure he'd be furious but not translating it out to his pack of idiotic followers."

"But," Kiru objected. "Who are you? And Why are you here?"

"I'm Sarah Snape," the witch replied gently, making everyone think that she looked, and sounded, like an angel sent from above. "I'm the daughter of Eileen and Tobias Snape, sister of Potions Master Severus T. Snape, and mother of one of the two Snape girls. I'm not sure which, though, since they're both in Slytherin, can speak Parseltongue, could both easily resemble both me or Sev, and the fact that time passed by differently in the world I came from. But, that is beside the point. Prophecies must be fulfilled, young ones, and the Snape family will play key roles in these prophecies. Be warned – the tasks will all be deadly, and most often you'll find that it will take an exceeding amount of traits from _all _Hogwarts Houses to be able to get through them all. I am close to completing one fifth of the prophecy, but now it is up to the rest of you to help me in these tasks."

"But how? We don't even know where to start!" Eileen objected sadly.

"Don't fret – the courageous one will guide you," Sarah said gently. "You'll know him when you see him, he's not very hard to miss since he sticks out like a sore thumb."

"But, will it all be Slytherin's?" Kiru asked, and Sarah looked at her as though she were appalled.

"You must be the one that big brother sired," Sarah said shaking her head. "You're sounding a lot like him right now. Then again, I guess my daughter would if she were raised by him, if that's the case. Hm, you wouldn't happen to know what I'm talking about when I say Zelda's been locked up, would you?"

"Well, duh!" one of the Muggle born kids from Ravenclaw said like it was obvious. "Zelda's _always _getting locked up by Gannondorf in the Legend of Zelda video games!"

"What on earth is are you talking about?" Malfoy yelled out.

"It's a Muggle game series, you wouldn't get it," the boy yelled back, while others cried out "Oh, I love that series! Nintendo really is the best thing ever!"

"Whatever, you filthy little Mudblood!" Draco yelled out, and the white-clad witch turned towards him with a cold, hate filled look in her eyes and face.

"Don't you _ever _say that in front of me again," Sarah growled darkly. "I've heard that word enough times in one lifetime, and I don't need _any _reminders."

"Where were you, Sarah-Sensei?" Hermione asked curiously. "Uncle Severus hasn't told us anything about you except for the fact that you went missing during his first year at Hogwarts while you were awaiting your letter."

"I was – well, fighting alongside a boy named 'Kid Icarus,' or as some people call him, 'Pit'," Sarah said warmly. "He really was a very bright boy, and now he's grown up to be a fine young man. Much better than that other one who thought he could do me and get away with it. Well, I got the last laugh alongside Pit when we performed a very simple, yet meaningful, prank on the old Voldy!"

"Wait," Harry said standing up to look at her. "You _tricked _Voldemort? And got away with it? How?"

"I was fifteen when he raped me," Sarah explained. "I was raised by angels after I was kidnapped at age eight, so I had no idea what on earth he was doing at the time. my trick was to hide his daughter in plain sight – he never went back to the orphanage he grew up in, so I put my daughter there to keep her safe, and Pit sent a few people every so often to check up on her."

"So, what about this Pit guy? Did the two of you have kids together?" one of the Slytherins asked with an evil grin on their face.

"No," Sarah said shaking her head. "We never got approval from our Ladyship, so we never married, and thus, never got intimate. Angels like Pit lose their wings, wreaths or halos, and all abilities and priviledges if they have sex outside of their spouse or without permission. In some cases, an extreme measure taken by a repeated offender, and they'll also get that punishment. Pit hasn't broken the law, ever, I'm proud to say."

"Sounds like Granger," Malfoy muttered, but was startled by Pit flying in excitedly just above his head.

"Sarah!" he cried out happily. "Greatest news, my love! She's given permission! We can marry now, and better yet, things will unfold soon!"

"That's wonderful, Pit!" Sarah cried, brining out her own wings and flying over to embrace him. "Pit, however did you convince her to let me join the angelic ranks?"

"I convinced her you were not at fault for the, um, attack," he said warily eyeing the students. "Can you figure it out, my dearest, which one is which?"

"No," Sarah said sadly. "They could both pass off as mine, I'm afraid, my love. I'm worried about what'll happen to our little cherubim's?"

"It's the smaller one," Pit whispered into her ear. "Don't worry, they're down for Hogwarts – I already checked. Their magic is just used up in their powers as well. They'll be fine, dearest."

"I hope you're right," Sarah fretted as they flew back through the portal that Pit re-opened. Naturally, it closed up behind them since it was a part of Angel training to close any and all portals behind you immediately because an unwanted enemy or mortal could follow you.

* * *

So yes, this is what I was talking about before with the different circumstances. Eileen's mom, Sarah, was taken to the world that Pit lives in when she got pregnant with Eileen. Anyways, you'll get a further explanation if you want one during the crossover that I'll give out later.

Reviews are pretty, and are angels to my eyes.


	11. The Plan

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

The biological members of the Snape family sat in Severus' private quarters late in May on the Friday before finals. Snape knew the consequences of betraying Voldemort, and couldn't care less anymore. He'd hidden Slytherin's locket away so that only Potter or Kiru could banish it.

Next problem on the list was the Gaunt family ring. It had been cursed, but now belonged to Eileen as a result of her inheritance. Dumbledore had had his hand cursed when he'd removed the Horcrux, and it was one less Horcrux that Harry had to worry about. It was now in Eileen's careful hands, and she was sure to make sure that her father thought it was still cursed.

Hufflepuff's cup was in the Lestrange Vault – that one would forever be kept in a very careful manner. However, Severus knew exactly how to get past it all: Draco. Draco, being the nephew of Bellatrix, was the one in charge of the Lestrange family vault, and would go into hiding as soon as he let Harry in to destroy the cup Horcrux.

Ravenclaw's diadem was another matter. Nobody knew where it was, and Kiru was at her wit's end trying to find the lost artifact. Eileen, however, knew where to go: the ghost of Ravenclaw's daughter, Helena, otherwise known as The Gray Lady. Eileen had approached her, and found out that the woman had been betrayed by Voldemort and he'd hidden the artifact in the Room of Requirement. She had almost gone to the Room itself, but instead approached via vanishing cabinet in Borgin and Burkes, but was disappointed to find it still broken.

Nonetheless, it was their goal to fix said cabinet to get to the final Horcrux. They'd left a myriad of clues all across the country in the form of things that only Harry and Hermione could understand. Ron was left in the dark, and was basically there to be there. Kiru was furious, demanding that Slytherin's locket be the last thing to go just after Voldemort, knowing that if there was something to cleanse it, it would appear somehow. However, her begging and fury was in vain and it was marked as the most dangerous since it was in the vicinity with her stepmother and half-siblings.

"Okay," Kiru said reviewing the plan. "Dumbledore dies, and that means dad gets the Elder Wand. Then Voldy gets mad, and while he's chasing Harry, dad plays headmaster and Harry solves the wild goose chase that ends in all the Horcruxes being destroyed. Then I get back with the Seven sages, and we're all happy lappy, right?"

"Almost," Severus said. "He will still need to be killed before you come back. Just after he's killed, you will need to arrive to fulfill your own prophecy. You see, Trelawney had also predicted what would happen to you, Kiru, and Eileen as well."

"What's the prophecy say, Uncle Sev?" Eileen asked worriedly.

"A child born to powers of three, will join with one who spreads death and glee. Seven sages must they wake, and then make hated killers quake. When all is at its darkest hour, the Ministry will the ten devour. If all ten are one at heart, to Death Eaters will justice they impart," Severus recited. "Power of the three they'll join, and forever more two worlds confound. If they fail to see as one, the powers of three be forever undone. In the Wizengamot they cry, to destroy the Death Eaters' lies. The seven will replace all else, and liar's hearts they will forever melt. But if the ten will not stand tall, then as one by one they will forever fall."

"Wow. So, we have to wake the seven sages from that Legend Professor Binns was talking about. Yikes, we bring down the Wizengamot, and if we don't we'll die. I guess that means there'll be Death Eaters on the team," Kiru shuddered. "Wonder who it'll be."

"Your guide told me it was someone from your past," Severus said calmly. "We'll need to be careful. The judging will try to keep the people innocent, and it will keep the numbers of each house as equal as possible, but it'll need to be fair. I have to kill him tomorrow, kids. Dumbledore will die, and the Death Eaters will roam free in Hogwarts. I recommend keeping everyone in bed as best you can. It won't be pretty at all."

"But what about all the Aurors in the building?" Eileen asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, we'll get through this," Severus said calmly. "I'm sure we'll find a way out of this mess, and there's no doubt that if someone is needed as a sage, then they'll be protected by their own power by means of the portal opening. I may be a Death Eater, but I'm a backstabbing one and proud of it. Now, I think we need to get to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and Potter can't be anywhere near that tower."

"I'll do what I can to make sure of it," Chessie nodded. "Myrtle can hide at Privet Drive with the other girls. Dudley can hide at Grimmauld Place with the boys. It won't be easy, but I'm sure this will end in chaos. We can only hope that everyone we hold dear survives the war. Actually, truth be told, Eileen is also a part of a prophecy."

"Yes, a shame to lose the final marauder," Severus drawled sarcastically.

"Wait, what's my prophecy?" Eileen asked curiously, and Severus groaned exhaustedly.

"To different dimensions they will go, some of which are on Nintendo. A clan will fill with a rise of heroes, and prepare themselves in dimensions that chose. Serpent's child will become a knight, father and child will fight with their light. Madness, Courage, Wisdom, and Power, all shall before them cower. When all five worlds have been chosen, each will send their ones to lead them. Alongside natives magic will fight, and all shall fear the half-blood's might. Never before have all combined, but now, with grace, they shall align," Severus recited. "Eileen, I believe you are the serpent's child. I believe that Kiru and I are the father and child bit, but I'm afraid I can't leave my post at Hogwarts without receiving the Death Penalty from _him_."

"But there are five worlds," Kiru pointed out. "That blonde guy from Christmas was trying to get me to go there early for training, if I'm not mistaken by the way he kept looking at me. and he kept looking at Eileen and Draco, too, but does that have something to do with them?"

"That was Link, the ambassador of Hyrule," Severus explained. "He is the one that will guide Kiru through her journey. Eileen, I don't know what world you'll go to, but I don't really want to find out just yet. Although, if I'm not mistaken, I saw a very odd cat that I could have sworn was smiling at you."

"Don't scare me like that, Uncle Sev!" Eileen cried out. "But that only makes two dimensions. And most of which are on Nintendo – that's a Muggle contraption for games. But, then what are the other games?"

"Well, there's Mario," Chessie suggested, "Or, Donkey Kong. Heaven forbid, I seriously hope we don't get that one. There's also Metroid, a futuristic one. On the other hand, there's also movies and such other stuff. Back to the schools with you little ragamuffins, and I mean all of you, Kiru."

"Professor Snape's office at Hogwarts!" the children all cried out one by one. Severus kissed Chessie on the lips, and she put her face to his chest.

"I don't want to lose you," she sobbed. "I – one night, Severus. It's a Friday, please, I beg of you."

"How could I deny when it will help me relieve the stress?" he asked as he followed her into the bedroom they shared. "You know, it never mentions where they go, but only the ambassadors will come one by one. I just hope they aren't too late."

"I'm sure Link will warn the others," Chessie assured as she began fondling with the buttons on his robes as they made their way to the bedroom.

"So that's what he was talking about when he said I had prophecies to fulfill," a woman dressed in blood red said from her hiding spot in the darkest shadows of the room. "The General will be _most _pleased to hear this little development…"

She slunk back through a portal that looked like a black hole made of white fog.

* * *

Okay, so as you can see, I stop it before it gets to the lemons. But, for anyone who likes to read lemons, I've got a horde of them stashed away on my flash drive since we're not allowed to print them here, and I've also got them for other chapters of other stories and series. And not just for book ones either, I've got some for my _Naruto _fics and even a few of my crossover fics.

Anyhow, if you don't like lemons that's fine, too. What do you think? Is Chessie growing up a little bit? I tried to make her to, but I'm not sure how well that's working out… I'm a single college student, so I'm only going off my parents' marriage when I'm writing married couple scenes that aren't lemons. Let's face it, I've got trashy romance novels to look to if I want to learn how to properly write a lemon.

Reviews? Please? *big puppy dog/crying kitten eyes*


	12. Funeral Pyre

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

The plan had worked out perfectly, and Death Eaters had swarmed the castle. Severus himself had been forced to use the killing curse and had fled the scene with Draco in tow and Harry following behind desperately. Unfortunately, Harry had heard Snape yell out the killing curse, and had known who was atop the Astronomy tower at the same time for Kami knew why.

Kiru was fighting for her life, and used the Floo Network to go home and get away from Hogwarts, dragging a groggy and half-asleep Eileen behind her. When they got there, they closed the network off to everyone but Severus, knowing it was the safest option. Severus had appeared a few hours later after racing home to see if they'd made it out alive and in one piece. Chessie had gone and checked up in the hospital wing to help out, and was pretending perfectly that it came as a shock that her husband had killed the Headmaster. She helped heal in a "daze", and was "shocked" to find that her daughters were "missing". She knew what would undoubtedly happen now, and her husband would be instituted as the headmaster of Hogwarts, but wasn't about to tell anyone.

She, like Harry, attended Dumbledore's funeral. She recalled how kind he'd been to let her stay after he'd heard alongside the rest of the school that she was pregnant with Severus' child, and had set up the extremely powerful Fidelius Charms on 4 Privet Drive and 12 Privet Drive. Eileen was the secret keeper for the girls' hideout, and Kiru for the boys'. She knew that the girls were going on a trip and that there was no way in hell that Voldemort would be able to get his hands on them since they'd be out in Hyrule going through all the Temples, or otherwise engaged in fulfilling prophecies of their own.

She sighed in exasperation, knowing that the two small girls, who were sitting with the Slytherin house, were terrified and were no doubt being bullied by all the other children for what Severus had done in accordance to Dumbledore's plan. He'd even left a vial of memories behind, but was only to give Harry access to them if he made it into the boat shack to follow after Voldemort, and had kept it hidden very well with a powerful warding charm that would work and only allow a Gryffindor into the bottle, even if it was destroyed.

It was foolproof, she concluded as she headed over to pick up two very distraught family members of hers. Harry and Hermione were glaring at her, and she soon saw why her Horcrux was the last one to be destroyed: they'd be holding a grudge until they got their hands on that Penseive and Severus' memories, which wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

"Mom, what if they don't listen?" Kiru worried.

"They will," Chessie assured.

"No," the blonde Hylian said from behind them. "But they will. It's time, girls. Are you ready?"

"Not really," they said sheepishly. "We'd like one more summer with our mom and dad. Is that okay?"

"The longer you wait the more you'll have to train to catch up to the way you're supposed to be," he warned. "Don't worry – I've already recruited the sages from my world. It's up to the two of you to recruit the sages for your world."

"Oh. Okay," Kiru said unhappily. "But, will I be able to talk to someone first?"

"If that someone has a lightning shaped scar, then yes," Link said calmly. "He deserves to know the truth, but he'll hear it from Zelda or your father's memories. Whichever comes first, and I really don't care which. Come."

The two girls looked back sadly as they stepped through the portal that led to this supposed land of Hyrule, and they now knew what their parents meant by all the legends. This was real, and they were really major participants in their own insane prophecy. They winced as they went into the ancient areas of Hyrule for the first time. Eileen immediately got the feeling that she didn't belong.

* * *

Okay, so there's the end of that book. I look forward to giving you the installment of the seventh book, even if it will be _extremely _difficult to do and keep up with.

Reviews? Pretty please?


	13. Final Piece of the Puzzle

I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.

* * *

The young student stared at the headmaster, a dark-clad male standing behind him. Severus shuddered in fear at this newcomer duo – it would take much strength to get past Voldemort's wards.

"I have the fifth representative in your little _prophecy_," he said darkly, and Severus paled further as he saw this new man's eyes. The aura this man was exuding made Voldemort's aura look like a fluffy little kitten who was so cute you couldn't resist but to pick him up and cuddle him. "We will train him until it is time for him to return."

"As you wish," Severus said bowing, eyeballing the ten-year-old. "His wand?"

"Will be home-made," the man said before opening a portal that Severus knew would have been the exact opposite of what Sarah would go through.

"Wait, who are you? What is your son's name?" Severus asked, "I need to make sure he isn't Muggle-born."

"His mother was a witch," the man said coolly. "by the name of Sarah Snape."

Severus' jaw dropped as his nephew disappeared with the terrifying man who he seemed to look up to for guidance, even though he was in a wheelchair.

* * *

So, which worlds do you think will open up now?

Review, please! As you can imagine, some crossovers are easier than others – Mario/Harry Potter is extremely hard to pull off properly! Thus, I've decided to completely delete it. I don't have the time or energy to do that one, and I'm having a hard enough time with Kiru's journey as it is.


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